The Blinn College esports program split two matches in Call of Duty and Overwatch play Tuesday.
The Buccaneer Call of Duty team swept Gogebic Community College 3-0 in a best-of-five NJCAA Esports series, while Blinn’s Overwatch team came up short in a National Association of College Esports (NACE) 3-1 series loss to Winthrop University.
Blinn’s Call of Duty matchup pitted four Buccaneers against Gogebic, with each team attempting to collect three wins across three modes of play in the first-person-shooter game:
- Hardpoint: Teams secure rotating capture points, earning points for control. A team wins by reaching 250 points first.
- Search and Destroy: Teams alternate attacking and defending, with the goal to plant or defuse an objective. The first team to win 6 rounds claims victory.
- Control: Teams attack and defend two capture points, with limited lives adding an elimination aspect. The first team to win three rounds claims victory.
- Blinn’s team of , Michael Allen, Isaias Nieto, and Joshua Russell earned the victory. The Bucs are now 3-1 in in NJCAAe matches this fall.
“We knew we were heavy favorites going into this match and it played out as expected,” said Blinn assistant coach Ryan Lucich, who oversees the Call of Duty team. “We got the map picks that we wanted and were able to out-kill and out-maneuver Gogebic in all three games. We took a strong 250-27 win in map 1 hardpoint, a 6-2 win in search and destroy, and a 3-0 victory in control. I want to commend Josiah, as he has really been putting in a lot of work to get up to the speed and level of our veteran players and this match really showcased what he can be capable of.”
Blinn’s next Call of Duty tilt pits the Buccaneers against Barton Community College in an NJCAAe bout at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 22.
In other action on Tuesday, the Buccaneer Overwatch team, ranked 13th by the Overwatch Collegiate Rankings Association, was unable to get past second-ranked Winthrop.
Overwatch is a team-based first-person-shooter in which players select heroes with unique abilities and work together to complete objectives across multiple map modes. Each team can strategically choose its maps based on team strengths and opponent weaknesses.
Each of the four rounds Tuesday included different win conditions, which included:
- Control: Teams fight to capture and hold a single point. The first team to reach 100% control wins two rounds in a best-of-three format, where the loser of each round picks the next map.
- Escort: The attacking team moves a payload to its destination while defenders try to stop them. The payload moves when attackers are near it, and the attackers aim to complete the route before time runs out.
- Hybrid: Teams capture a point and then escort a payload. The match is typically one round for attackers, who must secure the point first before moving the payload.
- Push: Teams battle to control a robot and push it toward the opponent’s side. The first team to push it farther than their opponents wins, with the loser picking the next map.
- Clash: Teams capture consecutive points, with the first team to a set number of points winning.
The team of Kyoung Lee, Haluk Tanriseven, Matthew Hutchings, Donnivan Straight, Dhruv Pandrangi fell to 3-3 in the NACE Varsity Premier Super Conference.
“Entering as underdogs, we delivered an extraordinary performance, showcasing our skill and determination,” Blinn assistant coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto said. “Despite falling short, each map was fiercely contested and determined by just a few pivotal moments. Overall, I couldn’t be prouder of our players for their incredible growth and performance in this match. To even take maps this close against a team as strong as Winthrop — and to secure a win in one of them — is an incredible accomplishment.”
Up next for Blinn Overwatch is an NJCAAe matchup with North Dakota State College of Science at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 49 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
