Macleans College Esports team claims second place at national gaming event
Posted on August 27, 2026
Macleans College’s top Valorant team has claimed second place at the New Zealand High School Esports Clash, following a strong run at the in-person competition held at The University of Waikato.
The result comes after the team won the grand final of a nationwide online competition earlier in Term 2.
Throughout Term 2, students from the Macleans College Esports Club competed in the nationwide Valorant competition. The school’s top team reached the grand final, where they defeated Westlake Boys High School in a closely contested overtime match.
Their success earned Karanvir Kingra (Mansfield House), Marcus Dong (Kupe), Steve Huang (Rutherford), Jonathan Weng (Upham), Linus Wu (Te Kanawa), Roy Bae (Upham) and Derek Tang (Te Kanawa) an invitation to the New Zealand High School Esports Clash in Hamilton. The team travelled to the University of Waikato earlier this month to compete against some of the strongest school teams from across New Zealand.
The team entered the competition determined to improve on Macleans College’s third place finish at last year’s event. They made a strong start, securing several early wins before facing Westlake Boys High School once again. The match ended in defeat, sending the team into the lower bracket.
The result did not end their campaign. The team won the matches that followed to earn their place in the final, where they faced Westlake Boys High School for a third time.
After a closely contested final, Macleans College was defeated and finished second overall.
Congratulations to Karanvir, Marcus, Steve, Jonathan, Linus, Roy and Derek on an impressive second place finish and their outstanding performance throughout both the online and in-person competitions.