This training session is held at TI 239 before the “Counter-Strike 2” video game championship competition. Zakeria Almajrabi | The Washtenaw Voice
Lexi Stephens | Contributor
The WCC Esports team has won a Division 5 national championship. This is the first time in Esports history that the WCC team has won nationals for their “Overwatch 2” and “Counter-Strike 2” teams.
“Overwatch” is a first-person shooter game played in teams of five or six people. In this case, the WCC “Overwatch 2” competitive team comprises six people: Chris Zachow, Nathan Fleck, Benjamin Bower, Casper Satwicz, Matthew McKinney and Andrew Schmaltz.
“Counter-Strike” is also a first-person shooter game; however, unlike “Overwatch”, the graphics are more realistic, giving players more accessory options. The WCC “Counter-Strike 2” competitive team comprises Kush Erdenebat, Sawyer Clark, Aiden Larsen, Quinn Campbell, Munkhdul Khosbayar and Chloe Johnson.
Each individual collectively works with the other to create a perfect team synergy. The competition is tough without that teamwork. Zakeria Almajrabi | The Washtenaw Voice
This is the first time in Esports history that the competitive teams have won national titles, and both the “Counter-Strike” and “Overwatch” teams won the NECC-National Esports Collegiate Conference championship.
The Esports program has been around for about three years now, with the Esports arena being newly built in 2023.
Max Kuznia, Esports coordinator, said that he’s always had a passion for doing work that is sports-related but he didn’t know what. That changed when he got to college, however.
He said, “I was in the sports management program at Rochester (University) when we got an Esports team… I really just saw for the first time that it was a career path I could take. After graduating, I was eagerly looking for an opportunity in Esports and I found it here.”
Students can get involved with WCC Esports by attending freeplay, tournaments and watch parties, or by joining the Esports club. For more information visit WCC’s website.
All gamers display an extreme level of concentration, fully immersed in their gameplay to bring a championship to the college. Zakeria Almajrabi | The Washtenaw Voice
The “Counter-Strike” and “Overwatch” teams played amazing games against each of their opponents and worked very hard to win nationals.
If you want to learn more about the Esports team, they hold playoffs for teams before every semester. They also hold weekly practices and competitions, open freeplay Monday-Thursday, which all students are welcome to attend and use the facilities inside the Esports arena, and host monthly tournaments.
A tense, yet confident environment was created as the team warmed up for the competition. Zakeria Almajrabi | The Washtenaw Voice
The Esports team uses the high-quality equipment they need to be able to win the championship competition. Zakeria Almajrabi | The Washtenaw Voice
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