WVU Tech esports posts five wins in busy week
BECKLEY, W.Va. — WVU Tech esports picked up five match victories across five titles from Oct. 8-15, including its first Rocket League win of the season and victories that kept the Golden Bears unbeaten in Rainbow Six Siege and NECC Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Tech also earned wins in EA Sports FC 26 and Street Fighter 6 while competing in Fortnite, Marvel Rivals, Overwatch and Teamfight Tactics.
Rocket League
WVU Tech earned its first ECAC Rocket League victory Thursday, Oct. 15, sweeping Williamson Speed 4-0 at the Golden Bear Esports Lab.
The Golden Bears won the opening game 3-1 and followed with a 4-2 victory before shutting out Williamson 3-0 in Game 3. Tech closed the series with a 9-3 win, outscoring Williamson 19-6 across the four games.
Sophomore Jay Franklin (Kase) led Tech with nine goals, seven assists and seven saves. Franklin scored three goals in Game 2 before finishing the series with four goals and four assists in the finale.
Junior Jon Wilson (Neblosk) added seven goals, one assist and five saves. Freshman Brooks Brunke (SorryMosquito268) contributed three goals, two assists and three saves.
The sweep improved WVU Tech to 1-2 in ECAC Rocket League play.
Rainbow Six Siege
WVU Tech improved to 3-0 in Rainbow Six Siege with a 2-1 victory over NC State Black on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
The Golden Bears dropped the opening map, Clubhouse, 7-4 before responding with a 7-3 victory on Nighthaven Labs. Tech secured the series with a 7-4 win on Chalet, improving to 6-1 in maps through three matches.
Junior Andrew Gwinn (amgscythe) led WVU Tech with 35 eliminations across the series, followed by senior Patrick Hilbert (Hilbert225) with 32 and senior Noah Tucker (bizzy.biyombo) with 23. Tucker recorded 12 eliminations on the deciding Chalet map.
Senior Ty Bock (BockShiesty) contributed 10 eliminations, junior Tobias Hill (salad.wvut) added nine and freshman Josiah Pilkington (DaBeastLoL3) finished with eight.
The victory followed 2-0 sweeps of Niner Esports Gold on Oct. 1 and UNC Asheville’s AVL Varsity on Oct. 7, keeping the Golden Bears unbeaten in Rainbow Six Siege competition.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
The Golden Bears remained unbeaten in NECC Super Smash Bros. Ultimate competition with a 2-1 victory over Pittsburg State University’s Greek Freaks on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
WVU Tech opened the series with a 12-4 victory in stocks before Pittsburg State answered with a narrow 12-11 win in Game 2. The Golden Bears responded in the deciding game, edging the Greek Freaks 12-11 to secure the match.
Junior Evan Ingram (Dunks), junior Rylan Ellison (RyeBread) and freshman Bryse Jenkins (ConcludedNut1) contributed to Tech’s effort.
Jenkins appeared in all three games, including both victories, and helped the Golden Bears secure the deciding win.
Tech opened NECC play with a 2-0 win over UWSP Esports Black on Sept. 29 before defeating Eastern University 2-1 on Oct. 6.
The victory over Pittsburg State moved WVU Tech to 3-0 in NECC competition.
EA Sports FC 26
Sophomore Luca Koenig (Otto132708) improved to 3-0 in EA Sports FC 26 competition Monday, Oct. 12, sweeping New England Institute of Technology’s LindaOffaYerk 2-0.
Koenig won the two games by scores of 3-2 and 5-4.
He previously earned a 2-0 victory over Hill College on Oct. 5 after opening the season with a forfeit win against D’Youville University on Sept. 28.
Street Fighter 6
Sophomore Ralph Aaron Etaba Ateba (Wreck) earned his second victory of the Street Fighter 6 season Tuesday, Oct. 13, defeating Plymouth State University 4-3.
It marked the second time this season Ateba had won a seven-game series. He also defeated Russell Sage College 4-3 on Sept. 29.
Ateba moved to 2-2 through four matches.
Fortnite Builds Duos
Sophomores William Vila (Will) and Nathan Vecellio (Nate) finished sixth with 303 points in Week 3 of ECAC Fortnite Builds Duos competition Thursday, Oct. 8.
The pair returned for Week 4 on Oct. 15, totaling 96 points and three eliminations across four games. Their best finish came in Game 3, placing 10th with three eliminations. They also recorded finishes of 11th, 24th and 17th.
Junior Brayden Hanshew (Mune) and fifth-year Karl Hoppe (karl1x) recorded 122 points in their Oct. 8 Week 3 competition.
Their reported results included a fourth-place finish with one elimination, an 11th-place finish with two eliminations and a 22nd-place finish without an elimination.
An overall placement for Hanshew and Hoppe was not available.
Fortnite Zero Build Duos
Seniors Keith Karwacki (TheWacki1) and Ryan Hayden (Dr.unrushed) finished 29th with 72 points in Week 4 of ECAC Fortnite Zero Build Duos competition Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The pair opened with a 14th-place finish and 26 points, with Karwacki recording one elimination. They followed with a 10th-place finish worth 32 points.
In Game 3, Hayden recorded two eliminations and Karwacki added one as the duo finished 22nd and earned 14 points. They closed the competition in 27th place.
Karwacki and Hayden combined for four eliminations across the four games.
Teamfight Tactics
Junior Triston Stover (Sammy) placed sixth in ECAC Teamfight Tactics competition Monday, Oct. 12.
Stover opened the season with a runner-up finish and 13 points on Sept. 21 before placing third with 10 points on Sept. 28. He followed with a fourth-place finish Oct. 5.
Marvel Rivals
WVU Tech fell 3-1 to Kettering University in NECC Marvel Rivals competition Tuesday, Oct. 13, despite a strong showing in the Golden Bears’ Game 3 victory.
Kettering took the opening game 2-0 and edged Tech 3-2 in Game 2 before the Golden Bears answered with a 3-2 win in Game 3.
Sophomore Wyatt Plumley (Plum) led Tech in the victory with 42 eliminations and 12 assists. Senior Ty Bock (BockShiesty) recorded 37 eliminations and 12 assists, while senior Benjamin Cogar (I3ennii) added 33 eliminations and 42 assists.
Senior Noah Tucker (bizzy.biyombo) contributed 28 eliminations. Sophomore Tyler Vines (Tytanium) finished with 21 eliminations and 30 assists, while sophomore Jordan Green (JrdnNextDoor) recorded 16 eliminations and 41 assists.
Kettering won Game 4 by a 2-0 score to take the series.
Plumley finished the four-game matchup with a team-high 78 eliminations, followed by Bock with 73, Cogar with 62 and Tucker with 55. Cogar led Tech with 77 assists, while Green recorded 57 and Vines added 54.
Freshman Kaylee Jude (Xelily) contributed two eliminations, two assists and 12,416 healing in the opening game.
WVU Tech combined for 361 eliminations across the series.
Overwatch
WVU Tech played two Overwatch matches during the week, falling 3-1 to Middle Tennessee State University’s MTSU Lightning on Friday, Oct. 9, and 3-0 to Vanderbilt Varsity on Monday, Oct. 12.
Against Vanderbilt, the Golden Bears used the same five-player lineup in the opening two games, featuring junior Brahm Kesterson (Brahm), junior Logan Oliver (Goomba678), junior Jacob Ferguson (Mezzlo), sophomore Keyera Adkins (SSighh) and senior Keith Karwacki (TheWacki1).
Oliver and Ferguson recorded five eliminations apiece in Game 2. Adkins contributed four eliminations, five assists and 5,945 healing, while Kesterson added three eliminations and 6,949 damage mitigated. Karwacki finished with one elimination and 1,431 damage mitigated.
Senior Parker Jarrell (Quiet Otter) entered the lineup for Game 3 in place of Oliver. Jarrell recorded 3,580 healing during the Esperança game, while Karwacki was credited with 11 players protected.
The Golden Bears opened their Overwatch season with a 3-0 victory over Milwaukee White on Oct. 5 and stand at 1-2 through three matches.
What’s Next
WVU Tech returns to competition Friday, Oct. 16, with senior Samuel Duff (Algebrother18) competing in Week 4 of ECAC Fortnite Zero Build Solo and the Golden Bears facing SUNY Poly SSBU Blue in ECAC Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Both events are scheduled for 8 p.m.
Three competitions follow Monday, Oct. 19. Triston Stover returns to Teamfight Tactics, Luca Koenig continues his EA Sports FC 26 season and Tech’s ECAC Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team faces Ball State University. All three are scheduled for 8 p.m.
On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the NECC Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team takes on Thomas College at 7:30 p.m. Keith Karwacki and Ryan Hayden return to Fortnite Zero Build Duos at 8 p.m., while Ralph Aaron Etaba Ateba continues Street Fighter 6 competition at the same time. Marvel Rivals follows against PNW Gold at 8:30 p.m.
Rainbow Six Siege faces Marietta College on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m.
On Thursday, Oct. 22, Rocket League takes on SUNY Empire Elites RL Yellow at 8 p.m. Sophomores William Vila and Nathan Vecellio also return for Week 5 of Fortnite Builds Duos, along with junior Brayden Hanshew and fifth-year Karl Hoppe. Both Fortnite pairings are scheduled for 8 p.m.
All competitions are scheduled to take place at the Golden Bear Esports Lab in Beckley.
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