Winthrop Esports saw its first action of the season as the League of Legends team competed in the Harrisburg University Esports Invitational on Sept. 19 and 20.
The Eagles opened the tournament with a 1-0 win against the University of Michigan. They then played Illinois Wesleyan University to earn another 1-0 victory.
With a 1-0 win over the University of California Irvine, Winthrop advanced past the group stage to the Round of 16. There, the team had to face another school from the Big Ten.
To round out their Saturday sweep, the Eagles defeated Ohio State University by a score of 2-0. This win advanced Winthrop to Sunday’s quarterfinals.
Winthrop’s thrilling run came to an end after a 2-0 loss against Harrisburg University, one of the top esports programs on the collegiate scene.
This year’s League of Legends team features five veteran players who all return from last year’s inaugural team, which was ranked as high as fourth in ESPN’s college League of Legends coaches poll last spring.
Esports also competed on Sept. 23, earning the program’s first-ever Rocket League victory with a 3-0 win over Hawkeye Community College. Rocket League is one of two new esports at Winthrop this semester, the other being Valorant.
Be sure to follow Winthrop Esports on Twitter (@WinthropEsports) and Instagram (@winthropesport) for gameday scores and updates.
Graphic by Lizzy Talbert
