State Tech’s underdog ESports team makes waves, earning national recognition in their debut year
by Christopher Rogers
The college ESports world is growing rapidly, and State Tech in Linn is at the center, with an impressive team announcing its arrival.
Linn —
As the weather gets colder and Christmas season is here, many people are waiting for their favorite college football playoff matchups or checking out the basketball landscape.
However, just under the radar is a largely unrecognized source of both competition and entertainment.
The college ESports world is growing rapidly, and State Tech in Linn is at the center, with an impressive team announcing its arrival.
Second Year Business Administration major, and Rocket League Captain Ryan Staton spoke on the team’s success.
“This year, we were seeded up on the middle. We managed to make fourth in playoffs just enough to make nationals this year. We’re just happy we were able to make nationals really glad to make a stand for ourselves as a two-year school.”, Staton told KRCG.
The ESports playoffs started before thanksgiving break for State Tech, where they punched their ticket to a national’s appearance for the game Rocket League. The program is less than a year old and already is making waves in the college esports world.
Head Coach Andrew Medley sees a good future for the program.
“We’re finding a whole lot of success. We have a lot of students who are really into the program, that are wanting to come. We’re hoping to start looking out into the high schools, and seeing what players are coming through.”, said Medley.
In its infancy, members of the ESports team were asked to compete in their homes. When the Osage View ESports Arena was completed, students were able to compete together and build camaraderie.
“It’s a community. These kids have created teams. They have created friendships. They’re hanging out with each other even outside of the esports arena. Really at its heart, it’s a family here.”, Medley said.
On Wednesday, the team faced Montgomery County for an Overwatch 2 playoff matchup. They were defeated by the top seeded mustangs. They will compete on Thursday in Valorant and Mario Kart. We’ll look to see the continued growth from a burgeoning program.
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