Pride Esports wraps up fall competition with various postseason finishes
DUBUQUE, Iowa - The Fall 2022 competitive season finished up last week for the Clarke University Esports team, with the program ending on a high note by adding another championship win along with new strides taken in all of the titles played by the various student-athletes.
Call of Duty
The Pride Call of Duty roster had a busy semester, travelling to their first ever LAN competition in Mankato, Minnesota to start their season off. Diego Arenas, Michael Feliz, Alec dos Santos, Enzo Bovet-Morinon, Samuel Swenor, and Ethan Kleckler finished in fourth place overall with a 2-2 record, only dropping games to the host and eventual winner in Minnesota State-Mankato.
Two Call of Duty rosters competed in the NACE Starleague Varsity Plus Division. The Navy team, comprised of Arenas, Feliz, dos Santos, and Bovet-Morinon was placed in the East 2 Conference, and the Gold team, comprised of Kleckler, Swenor, Jaydon Dennis, Khalan Coleman, Ben Blackburn, and Devon Wall was placed in the East 3 Conference. The Navy team finished the regular season as the No. 2 seed with a 5-2 record, and the Gold team finished as the No.2 seed as well, with a 5-1 record.
Heading into the playoffs, Swenor joined the Navy team to fill in as both teams received a first round bye into the semifinals, beating Central Penn 3-1 to make the Divisional Finals, while the Gold team beat Jamestown a second time to make the Divisional Finals as well as both teams would fall in the finals to earn runner-up.
Chess
An addition for CU Esports this semester was Chess. An emerging esport sponsored by the Collegiate Chess League and Chess.com. Swenor stepped up to the plate as the inaugural Chess competitor and throughout the CCL season, Swenor would go on to win at least two matches each week, eventually being placed in Division 16 for the post-season where he ultimately finished top eight.
FIFA
Coming off a championship season last semester, the FIFA roster competed in the Eastern College Athletic Conference again as the reigning champion Tommy Rea returned to the team with a newcomer in Bruno Albino.
Through the regular season, Rea finished in 10th place while Albino finished in 12th, both with a 5-2 record. Heading into the playoffs, Rea was unable to compete in his match, but fortunately Albino made it through the playoff bracket to the finals.He swept the final match and successfully defended Rea's title for the Pride to become back-to-back ECAC champions.
Additionally, Albino competed in the North American Collegiate League, where he finished the regular season as the No. 1 seed in Group B where he would go on to sweep through the playoffs and finals to earn the NACL championship.
Fortnite
This semester had an abundance of competition for the Fortnite roster of Jacob Schemmel, Derryl Meeks, and Nicholas Conner, who all had opportunities to compete together and individually in the College Carball Assocation featuring Fortnite, the NACE Starleague Fall Collegiate Series, and the ECAC seasons.
As a trio, the roster performed well for their first go in the CCA featuring Fortnite season, while the Duo of Schemmel and Meeks built their chemistry well and had solid seasons in the NSL Fall Collegiate Series and ECAC, qualifying for the ECAC playoffs and finish in 13th place.
Madden
The Madden team saw the addition of one of the best professional players to the team this season in Daniel Mycroft, joining James Vandun. Looking to make a statement in collegiate, Mycroft went on to compete in the LevelNext National Championship, fighting through the Last Chance Qualifier and making it to the playoffs, where he would go on to finish in the top 12.
Both Mycroft and Vandun competed in the ECAC season, where Mycroft finished in second place with a 7-1 record, and Vandun finished in 23rd place with a 4-4 record.
Meanwhile, Mycroft was also competing in the professional Madden Championship Series circuit, where he qualified for the broadcast stage of the Ultimate Kickoff tournament, finishing in the Top eight.
Currently Mycroft awaits the results of the MCS Ultimate Wild Card tournament playoffs to see if he qualifies for the Madden Bowl to end the professional season.
NBA 2K
The NBA2K roster looked entirely new this year, with Conner and Charles Jones competing in the ECAC season. After the regular season, Conner ended in 21st place with a 4-4 record, and Jones ended in 29th place with a 3-5 record. Conner would go on to qualify for the postseason.
Valorant
One of the newest titles to Clarke this semester was the addition of a Valorant team comprised of Bovet-Morinon, Spencer Cavaco, Tawan Khwanthongyim, Graciela Perez, and Feliz. The team competed mainly in the National Esports Collegiate Conference and was placed in the Challengers Division and West Great Lakes Conference.
The Pride would go on to finish in ninth place with a 2-6 record, just falling short of qualifying for the playoffs and competed in the College Valorant Fall Tournament, where they would finish with a 1-2 record.
Clarke Esports are now in their winter break where they will get back to campus to begin spring competition in January looking to improve on their strong fall results.