Longhorns Level Up at 2026 Academic Esports World Tournament

Bailey, who's been taking gaming courses, says that in more recent days she's been focused on game development instead of playing. Even still, she and her twin sister, Elizabeth, jumped at the opportunity to participate in the international tournament. Other students shared this sentiment, having seen the call to participate around campus.

"We're just a rag-tag group of people who wanted to come on this trip," Bailey said, pointing out that the students aren't the official Longhorns esports team. "But I think everyone was rooting for us because of that."

Austin Espinoza, UT's esports coordinator and Alienware Longhorn Esports facilities manager, accompanied the team to Australia, alongside Ben Bays, RTF associate professor of instruction and director of Moody College of Communication's Karch Gaming Institute. Espinoza agreed with Bailey, saying that each member of the team stepped up to the trip's challenges, using individual expertise to coach their peers and set the tone for every level of competition.

"We truly brought a uniquely diverse team," Espinoza said, referring to the wide-range of majors, academic years, ages, their overall gaming experience and skillsets."They represented Texas in such a beautiful and distinct way that honestly made us a consistent fan favorite among many other schools."