Mishawaka, Ind. --- The Bethel University Esports squad kept up the pressure as Valorant won, Overwatch went 4-2, Super Smash Bros. went 1-2, League of Legends lost one, and Rocket League grabbed two wins and lost one.
Valorant won their first season win as they defeated Wayne St. College. Freshman Nathan Kropiewnicki led the team with 54 kills, eight assists, and a KDA of 7.8.
"It was the second match of the season for our new Valorant team, and we got the first win in program history," said Head Coach Dan Wort, "I am excited to add another team to our esports program and see where it leads for the future."
Overwatch went 4-2 as they beat Illinois Wesleyan 3-0 in a forfeit win, Ohio State 3-1, Wichita St. 3-1, Michigan Tech 3-0 in round one of the CECC Tournament, and lost to Northwood 3-0 in CECC and Illinois State. 3-0. Sophomore Alden Matta led the team with 80 eliminations and 42,370 damage in the win over Ohio State. Sophomore Zak Shaffer led the team with 90 assists, 40,875 healing, and 7.4 KDA in a win over Wichita State.
Wort said, "We played in a major tournament this weekend, The CECC Midwest Region Qualifier. We had group stages on Saturday and bracket play on Sunday. We finished second in our group and made the top eight bracket, beating Ohio State and Wichita State to finish third overall."
Super Smash Bros. went 1-2 as they beat Marietta 2-0 but lost to Valparaiso 2-0 and Northwood 2-0. Junior Eric Trent led the team against Marietta with a 3-0 record and took all nine stocks in game one.
Wort spoke on the team's performance and said, "We had a tough week dropping two conference matches against Northwood and Valpo. Although we played Valpo very close, we still must improve against the top teams."
JV Super Smash Bros. went 0-3 as they fell to Bryant College 2-1, Elmira 2-0, and Northern Illinois 2-0. Sophomore John Samarich led the team with 10 KOs against Bryant College.
Wort said, "While we didn't secure a win this week, our young players continue to get playing time and opportunities to improve. They see the level of competition and what they need to do to improve. They continue to have a great attitude and work hard."
League of Legends lost to DePauw University 2-0. Wort said, "It was a tough match. We didn't play that well. We still are struggling mid-game with decision-making and learning to play together. League is a complicated game where the decisions made during the early and mid-parts of the game will usually determine the outcome."
Rocket League went 2-1 as they defeated Bradley University 3-0 and Alma 3-1 but fell to Tiffin 3-0. Senior Cannon Harris lead the team with six goals, four assists, and seven demos in a win over Bradley. Junior Jayson LaGrou led the team with eight goals in a win over Alma.
Wort said, "We beat Bradley to stay undefeated in the NECC conference but split another double-header in the GLEC to stay even at 4-4 and in 8th place. GLEC is a very tough conference where all teams play each other, so there is a broad range of talent."
JV Rocket League went 1-1 as they beat Southwest Michigan 3-1 but lost to Loyola Maryland 4-2. Sophomore Payton Fish led the team with six goals in a win over Southwest Michigan and five goals in a loss vs. Loyola.
For the latest information on each of Bethel University's 31 intercollegiate athletic teams, visit BUPilots.com or follow the Pilots on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @BUPilots or YouTube at /BethelSportsNetwork.
