The WVU Esports program has been busy with the new semester underway, and the University's Rocket League team is already seeing success
The team just wrapped up the College Carball Association Summer Series earning second place against some of the best teams in the country. Several more tournaments are coming up soon, and team officials said the way it came together during the final stretch of the summer tournament set the stage for what is to come.
"With this being our first full year having the team, it's great to see us start off strong and now we can continue to build from this," WVU Esports Director Josh Steger said.
While the Rocket League team will participate remotely in the seasons sponsored by the National Association for Collegiate Esports and the Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup, they're also in the process of preparing to head to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to play in the HUE Invitational.
The HUE Invitational is a yearly tournament hosted by Harrisburg University drawing more than 30 of the top collegiate esports programs in the country to compete in Rocket League, Overwatch and League of Legends. This year’s tournament is set for Sept. 24-25, and its Rocket League field includes the Mountaineers, Boise State University, Illinois State University, Oakland University, Fisher College, Stockton University, Siena Heights University and Ottawa University.
"Having some momentum coming out of Summer Series is wonderful," said sophomore Erick del Castillo, who plays for WVU under the name Falss. "We're going there with the mindset that it's a win-win no matter what. We all know LAN (local area network gaming) is a different environment, so having the right mindset and coming in with confidence is going to lead us to great results."
It will be just the second time in WVU Esports history that the program has gotten a chance to compete in a tournament in person. The WVU Valorant team competed and finished fourth nationally at the National Esports Collegiate Conference in Atlanta in May.
"Representing the school in national and international events has always been my goal," del Castillo said. "Having the school backing up every single thing we do is life-changing, and being one of the first teams to get to travel and play for WVU in a tournament like this is motivating and makes us even more hungry to do well.”
To get more updates about WVU Esports, follow the program on Twitter at @WVUEsports and watch live events from the varsity esports teams at twitch.tv/wvuesports1.