Esports, a scene that was once only relegated to local meet-ups, has now become a national phenomenon that has now seeped its way into universities across the country.
Winthrop’s esports program in particular has proven to be one of the most dominant of these college esports programs ever since its creation in 2019 where the program earned a few of their first championships in the video games Rocket League and League of Legends. This dominance has continued following their recent appearance in the CECC 2025 South Regionals.
This year, two of Winthrop’s esports teams competed in the championship qualifiers: the Overwatch 2 team and Super Smash Bros team.
The Overwatch 2 team was able to obtain a victory in the CECC South Regional that occurred from March 1–2. In all of their bracket match-ups, the Overwatch 2 team won their games 3-0 in each round.
Kyle Rakauskas, or “Rakattack”, is an Overwatch 2 player who specializes in the support role. He shared his experience following their appearance in the qualifiers.
“We had to play a few divisions. We played a lot of games against schools in the south. We went in with confidence, won as many games as we could, and got the top seed,” Rakauskas said. “For this tournament, it has not been difficult quite yet.”
The Super Smash Bros team of Winthrop Esports also saw great success in the CECC 2025 regionals. In this tournament, they ended up winning the entire tournament by obtaining a 3-1 victory in the grand finals against Arlington.
One of the players from the Super Smash Bros Team, Dylan Dunn – also known as Anarchy – detailed the teams run in the regionals.
“It was fine, but it was a little bit different because we didn’t have the people we used for some of the teams that we had last time,” Dunn explained. “We made it work though. We came out on top in the end.”
Just like any other sport, players and coaches have their own personal maxims and mindsets that help guide them to ultimate victories. Eric Perez, also known as Wheats, is a coach for the Overwatch 2 team and credits their victory to a few key points.
“The skills are all in the game,” Perez explained. “But I don’t think that’s as important as the dedication and the discipline to keep grinding.”
A player from the Super Smash Bros, C.J Wiley – also known as CJFroze – when asked about what it takes to make it that far in a tournament mentioned a being able to take criticism as a major proponent.
“I think you need to be open to criticism,” Wiley explained. “Be able to communicate with other people in your field and the game you play.”
Following the regional, both of these teams will make their appearance in the CECC tournament that takes place May 5 in Arlington, Texas.
