KENOSHA, Wis. — Thalia Sullivan (Jellyfish), a second-year transfer student from Kenosha, Wisconsin, studying game development, is a starting player for the Carthage Valorant team. Sullivan utilizes in-game agents designed to place smokes to cut off enemy sightlines on attack and stall enemy pushes on defense. In other words, she is a map controller while competing in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) under a five-versus-five team format.
For those unfamiliar, Valorant is a five-versus-five tactical, hero-based shooter that emphasizes precise gunplay and the strategic use of abilities available to all in-game agents. There is one competitive game mode, which challenges teams to switch between attacking and defending bomb sites. On attack, the objective is to plant a bomb, known as the spike, while defenders aim to defuse it. There are four main roles among the in-game agents in Valorant: Duelist, Initiator, Controller, and Sentinel.
Duelist agents are known as entry fraggers who lead the attack, possess high mobility or self-healing abilities, and take the first duels of a given round. Initiators utilize intel-based tools such as darts, flashes, and other reconnaissance technology to clear angles and set up kills for Duelists. Controllers are smoke experts who cut off enemy sightlines to help plant or defuse the spike while orchestrating the flow of maps and sites. Sentinels are defensive anchors and flank watchers who use barriers, traps, and other abilities to slow down enemy pushes and watch the back lines.
Sullivan's esports journey started with an interest that developed just after she graduated from Kenosha Indian Trail High School and Academy in June 2022. With an interest in coding, Sullivan took her talents to UW-Parkside and majored in computer science. She spent two years there and completed a few courses but never felt a real passion develop. However, Sullivan recognized a different program offered a couple of miles away and found her next destination.
"I came to Carthage because I had learned about one of their newest programs involving Game Design, which integrates one of my hobbies: art. When I got to Carthage, touring and finding out where everything is, I came across the Esports Arena and figured I wanted to give it a go since I already play video games."
— Sullivan on why she chose Carthage and how esports intertwined with that decision-making process
With this in mind, Sullivan officially joined the Carthage Valorant team in the 2025-26 competitive year. As a first-year transfer student, she had played competitive video games since 2020 but never experienced a team-oriented environment like the one Carthage Esports provides to its student-athletes. Despite facing the unknown, Sullivan valued the learning opportunities she could gain from participating in esports.
In Spring 2026 NECC competition, Sullivan played alongside then-junior captain
Sergio Musaitef (Gio), then-junior
Aiden Hecht (Hecht), University of New Haven [UNH] transfer
Charlie Post (Opt1mal), and then-sophomore
Ryan Rivera (Righreanden). In the Division IV – Midwest A Stage, Carthage Valorant exceeded expectations, going 5-1 overall with an 11-3 map record. Despite earning only the No. 3 seed because of a head-to-head loss against Midwest A rival Minot State Red and Drury University going 6-0 overall in the Midwest B Stage, Sullivan and her teammates aimed to prove the doubters wrong.
Carthage Valorant's playoff run began against No. 6 Governors State University (GSU) Jaguars, where a 2-0 sweep came on March 23. Next, Sullivan and co. faced No. 1 Drury University Panthers, who achieved the only undefeated regular season among all Midwest teams across the A and B Stages. Nonetheless, Carthage handled business and earned a 2-0 sweep on March 30.
Following the upset, the team prepared for its grand final opponent, which turned out to be No. 5 Cornell College Rams after they surprisingly defeated No. 2 Minot State Red in the other semifinal.
Carthage Valorant's crowning moment came in the Division VI Midwest Championship on Monday, April 13. In all, the Firebirds swept the Rams 3-0 to bring home their second consecutive Spring NECC title.
"Being part of a team has really helped me immerse myself not only in school but also in meeting new people and creating new experiences as I finish out my last two years of school."
— Sullivan on how esports has impacted her academic and personal life
In her Carthage Esports career, Sullivan is a one-time NECC conference champion (Spring 2026 vs. No. 5 Cornell College on April 13). As a controller-dominant player, Sullivan finished Spring 2026 NECC with 277 kills, 287 deaths (0.97 K/D), 155 assists, 42 spike plants, and six spike defusals. With these numbers, she accumulated the second-most assists and spike plants behind Post (169 and 76, respectively).
Entering her second year as a transfer student, Sullivan is excited to work with her returning teammates once more and remain an important piece of Carthage Valorant's puzzle. Sullivan will enter the 2026-27 competitive year with her team, which includes an off-stream Fall 2026 and on-stream Spring 2027 NECC campaign.
Carthage Esports is currently in-season with NECC and WEC competition. We have scheduled Fall 2026 NECC livestreams for Smash Bros. (Tuesdays), Rainbow Six (Wednesdays), and Overwatch (Fridays). This pattern occurs for regular-season matches from the week of Sept. 28 to the week of Nov. 9.
Follow @carthageesports on all socials to stay updated on content involving the upcoming Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 seasons. Follow our Twitch channel to be informed when broadcasts go live. Lastly, be on the lookout for recaps on the Carthage Athletics – Esports page as the Fall 2026 NECC and WEC seasons continue.
