The Blinn College esports Overwatch team captured the University of Missouri Overwatch Invitational on Sunday in Columbia, Missouri.
The Buccaneers went 4-1 during the two-day Local Area Network (LAN) event. The championship is Blinn Overwatch’s first LAN tournament win.
Competing for the Bucs were , Haluk Tanriseven, Matthew Hutchings, Donnivan Straight, and Dhruv Pandrangi.
Each of the matches were contested under a best-of-five format except for the championship, which was a best-of-seven series.
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 round during the weekend’s matches included a different win condition based on the following modes:
- 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.
In its run to the tournament title, the 10th-ranked Bucs (Overwatch Collegiate Rankings Association) defeated Lindenwood University 3-1 in the second round and Texas A&M University 3-2 in the quarterfinal round. Blinn then fell to Briar Cliff University 3-2 in the winners bracket semifinal match before bouncing back for a 3-1 victory over Texas A&M in the losers bracket title match to set up a championship rematch with Briar Cliff. The Bucs defeated Briar Cliff 4-2 to claim the title.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this team,” Blinn head coach and Overwatch manager Kyle Murto said. “This is our first LAN win for Overwatch and we earned it against some serious competition. While we had moments where we didn’t play our best, we ultimately proved why we were the top seed. Every single player put in so much work to get here, and lifting that trophy at the end was an incredible experience.”
Murto also recognized the efforts of Mares, Straight, and Hutchings, who is the Overwatch squad’s team captain.
“This was the first championship of my esports career and it just feels amazing to win with this group,” Hutchings said. “Being able to adapt on the fly and make smart choices helped get us here, as well as having faith in each other as a team no matter how tough the challenge was.”
