Conference One: Interview with Carleton University's Team Coordinator
The superstars of Conference One play who found themselves well represented on all postseason media rankings, The Carleton University Ravens, took the time to answer a few questions about their glorious Fall Valorant Season. Jack Miereles, the Team Coordinator, spoke about the Fall season and what they look forward to in the spring.
When asked about the feelings around the success in the fall, Jack proclaimed, "After winning the event, we're obviously happy and excited to finally take the first place spot. In the previous year, we were constantly near the top with many second and third place results in big leagues, so taking the championship in this year's CF1 tournament was reassuring as our hard work finally paid off." Hard work paid off indeed as Carleton finished out an immaculate season. They did not have a loss all fall.
Next, Jack discussed what this almost perfect team could work on moving forward. Miereles exclaimed, "The main focus for us was to tighten up communication. Tilt in big matches has cost us a few games, so we're trying to minimize that going forward. Although we've improved enough to win CF1, we still need a lot of work." A humbling response for the Carleton Ravens. Their improvements clearly made a huge difference as they were able to cruise through the playoffs.
With Carleton's success, it makes sense that some of their players would have fallen into leadership roles. When prompted the question of who stepped up, Miereles stated, "Last year, I was the IGL and Captain of this team, and trying to keep everyone's mental health in check as well as making strategic calls was a large burden that I found difficult to carry. Coming into this year, 4/5 of our members are returning players, with the addition of Dani to fill that fifth spot. He has stepped into the IGL role seamlessly as he has a lot of experience from previous teams. So, between myself as the Captain of this team and Dani as the IGL, things are a lot more balanced and manageable, which has helped us succeed." With the leadership of Dani and the returning chemistry, it was a perfect storm to see Carleton ascend to the top.
Carleton looks to be in a bright spot heading into the Spring season. Jack talked about the desire to get better by saying, "We're simply working not to get complacent. As we have proven ourselves to be the best team in North America, beating big names like SJSU and Northwood in the past, we hope to continue our success by keeping up our high level of skill and teamwork." With the motivation never dying for Carleton, they can easily meet Jack's goal for the team. Jack set the goal of winning by exclaiming, "Going into the Spring Season, we expect to keep the title of CF1 Champions." The confidence is earned at this point, as Carleton will look to repeat next season.
