Blinn College esports split two NJCAA Esports matches Wednesday.
The 27th-ranked Buccaneer Overwatch team swept Hawkeye Community College, while Blinn’s Call of Duty team dropped a decision to Oklahoma Christian University.
The Buccaneer Overwatch team earned a 3-0 win in a best-of-five format in its NJCAAe opener, led by a dominating effort from Haluk Tanriseven, Donnivan Straight, Andrew Dugas, Matthew Hutchings, and Francisco Amezcua.
“The entire team has been working exceedingly well together as of late, and their synergy was on display today through our quick map wins,” said Blinn assistant coach Kyle Murto, who coaches the Overwatch team. “I am proud of all my players, especially Andrew Dugas and Francisco Amezcua, as they joined this team as walk-ons and within only a couple weeks have developed into much better players than they already were, and they’re really fitting well into this roster.”
Overall, Blinn Overwatch is 3-0 on the season, 2-0 in National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) matched and 1-0 in NJCAAe bouts.
The Buccaneer Overwatch squad takes on Oklahoma Christian University in a NACE tilt at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19.
Blinn’s Call of Duty team came up short in a 3-0 NACE sweep at the hands of Oklahoma Christian in a best-of-five series.
“We knew going in it would be a tough match against one of the top teams in the nation,” said Blinn assistant and Call of Duty coach Ryan Lucich. “The team will review and find some takeaways to improve as we look forward to our next match.”
Competing for the Bucs were David Rodriguez, Landon Campos, Logan Rivera, and Michael Allen.
Blinn’s next Call of Duty match will be an NJCAAe clash with North Central Missouri College at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 19. The Buccaneer Super Smash Bros squad battles Dallas Baptist University in a NACE matchup at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14.
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 44 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
