Wake Tech Esports preps for championship run
The inaugural regular season for Wake Tech’s Esports program has come to a close and now it’s on to the quest for an NJCAAE National Championship which is part the College Esports National Championship (CENC).
The inaugural regular season for Wake Tech's Esports program has come to a close and now it's on to the quest for an NJCAAE National Championship which is part the College Esports National Championship (CENC).
The CENC event will be April 29-May 2. The tournament features two-year colleges (NJCAAE) and four-year institutions from across the country. Originally planned to be hosted in Raleigh, the event is now online and virtual due to COVID-19. Teams will advance to the CENC through bracket play with the top teams qualifying for the championship.
Wake Tech's Overwatch team (11-1) is the overall fifth seed of the eight-team tournament. The Rocket League Gold (10-2) team is seeded eighth and the Silver team (9-3) is tenth in the 16-team bracket. Wake Tech is the only college to place two Rocket League teams in the playoffs. Twenty-six total teams competed in Overwatch and 43 Rocket Leagues team competed in the Spring 2021 NJCAAE season.
The tournament for Overwatch begins on April 19 (5pm) and Rocket League on April 22 (5pm). The semifinals for Overwatch is April 29 (8pm) and the championship is on May 2 (2pm). The quarterfinals for Rocket League is April 29 (5pm), semifinals May 1 (7pm), and the championship is on May 2 (1pm).
"The teams have worked hard the past 13 weeks during preseason and the regular season to make it to the playoffs," said esports coordinator Robert "Chase" Sommer. "A big shout out to the team captains for their help and leadership."
Many of the games will be live streamed on NJCAAE Twitch (twitch.tv/njcaae) and on ESTV. ESTV is the first-ever dedicated channel for esports and can be found on many smart televisions.
Overwatch Gold:
Players: Daniel Ferrer (Jimmygames10), Etan Ulanday (Jakthehero1592), Ithiel Benavides (CrimsonKing), Kassidy Cestero (Phox), Michael Hernandez-Bernal (DapperDino), Carlos Delgadillo-Moreno (VPax), and Ryan Davis (Titanium)
Overall record: 11-1
Seed in playoffs: 5th
First round game: Monday, Apr 19th @ 5:00 pm EDT against the Lincoln Land (Ill.) Community College Loggers
Rocket League Gold:
Players: Elijah Robinson (Erob494), Isac Kauffman (Lazarus), Nicholas Cox (Toasty), and Nicholas Kraemer (Cheese Sandwich)
Overall record: 10-2
Seed in playoffs: 8th
First round game: Thursday, Apr 22nd @ 5:00 pm EDT against St. Clair (Mich.) Community College Skippers (9th seed)
Rocket League Silver:
Players: Cody Matthias (Frehgrunce), Matthew Carlin (Stealthypenguin), and Matthew Welker (Trashpanda)
Overall record: 9-3
Seed in playoffs: 10th
First round game: Thursday, Apr 22nd @ 5:00 pm EDT against Waubonsee (Ill.) Community College Chiefs (7th seed)