From Collegiate To Pro - GLYPH Joins Gentle Mates For VCT EMEA 2026

In Division One’s Fall split, Connor “GLYPH” Garcia played for Winthrop University’s Valorant team as a tough contender. Now, he has joined the pro scene by signing with Gentle Mates to compete in Riot Games’ VCT EMEA 2026 season!

Winthrop University Esports has solidified its spot as a top collegiate program ever since it was established in 2019. Many of their esports teams have won championships in events like DreamHack and NECC. This environment is a great place for GLYPH to hone his skills in Valorant, especially since Winthrop Esports was the first collegiate team to qualify for Valorant Challengers. He has access to must-needed resources to improve and award-winning coaches and staff that tirelessly worked to be taken seriously. It’s no wonder that GLYPH eventually found himself signing with a pro-league team.

GLYPH was a menace during the Fall Split. With Omen and Viper as his top agents, he set his team up for strong territory holds that other teams struggled to break. His skill at multi-kills helped too. He was instrumental in Winthrop being the only team in the regular season to get a third game against Maryville. GLYPH and his team also participated in VCT Ascension Americas 2025, the final tournament of Valorant Challengers, where they placed 4th place overall. He is building skills in both collegiate and non-collegiate competitions with a deep respect for the game.

Gentle Mates’, a French esports organization formerly known as SBG, offer came at a time when luck and opportunity collided. The organization quickly rose to prominence in 2023 with a striking VCT Ascension EMEA first-place victory in their first year with the rebrand. Ever since, Gentle Mates has struggled replicating that spark in the years that followed. The nail on the coffin was in 2025 where they finished in 11th place for VCT EMEA. Things seemed dire as they were booted into lower-tiered competitions and initially not invited back in 2026.

Until KOI, another esports organization, had their Riot Games partnership agreement terminated, leaving Gentle Mates to fill that vacancy.

Determined to rise from the ashes, Gentle Mates went into the 2026 season with a brand new roster. GLYPH plays alongside Patryk “starxo” Kopczynski, Martin “marteen” Patek, Patrik “Minny” Hušek (the only returning player), and Taranvir “bipo” Singh.

The VCT 2026 International Kickoff is already underway with Gentle Mates being undefeated in the upper group in this triple elimination bracket. They went 2-0 against FUT Esports, GiantX, and Natus Vincere. Already, GLYPH is proving his spot on Gentle Mates and in the pro-league. Playing as Astra has helped him maintain a high KAST (Kills, Assist, Surviving, Traded) score that allows Gentle Mates to keep their upper group standing for a good qualifying placement. It’ll be exciting to follow if GLYPH can help Gentle Mates regain their VCT championship title after two years.

From collegiate Winthrop Esports to rising VCT EMEA player, Connor “GLYPH” Garcia starts his pro-league career off strong with an undefeated record as a part of Gentle Mates. Keep an eye on Division One to see other collegiate players build their skills.