The Blinn College esports Overwatch and Valorant teams competed in regional and qualifying events for the Collegiate Esports Sports Commissioners Cup (CECC) on Saturday and Sunday.
The Buccaneer Valorant squad of Adam Laamoumi, Anthony Nguyen, Michael Rieger, Connor Corley, and Ludovi Lefebrve-Lavigne posted a 3-1 record in four stages of CECC Qualifiers play. In a pair of best-of-three tilts, Blinn defeated the University of South Florida (2-0) and Cumberland University (2-1) on Saturday. In single-round matchups against West Virginia University and Converse University on Sunday, the Bucs earned a 1-0 victory before falling 0-1.
Blinn’s 3-1 record was good enough to advance the Bucs to the CECC South Regional in February.
“The team played well this weekend in our first event of the spring semester with wins over several strong opponents,” Blinn esports head coach and Valorant manager Aaron Kapiko said. “We ran out of gas against Converse, but we are happy with our result and will look to qualify for the CECC in the regional tournament.”
In other action, the Bucs’ Overwatch team of Haluk Tanriseven, Donnivan Straight, Jaden Cornett, Matthew Hutchings, and Braeden Greiffenstein went 3-1 in the CECC South Regional Qualifier. In Stage 1 of the qualifier, Blinn topped the University of Texas-Tyler 3-0 in a best-of-five match. The Bucs then took down the University of Central Florida 3-0 in Stage 2. On Sunday, Blinn battled past Texas A&M University 3-2 in the Round of 16 before ultimately falling to the University of Texas-Dallas 3-1 in the quarterfinal round.
“While the outcome may not have been what we had hoped for, it is important to highlight the positives,” said Blinn assistant coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto. “Our team demonstrated resilience and solid performance against a top-ranked team in UT-Dallas, showcasing our capabilities even with a substitute player. Looking forward, we can leverage the lessons learned from both our victories and defeat to enhance our performance in future matches. The experience gained from competing against these challenging opponents will undoubtedly contribute to our team’s development and readiness for upcoming events.”
Blinn’s spring schedule is currently in development, however the Bucs’ Overwatch team begins its National Association of College Esports slate this week. The Bucs face St. Clair College at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 30.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
