Central Penn esports team wins NACE Starleague championship
SUMMERDALE, Pa. — Central Penn College鈥檚 Rocket League team ended their first season undefeated and captured a national championship in their division of the NACE Starleague. The team competed in the National Association of Collegiate Esports Starleague playoffs, topping more than 170 member schools, including some of the nation鈥檚 top esports programs. Team players include Captain Jeffrey Elicker, Cameron Odom, and Dominick Bruce.
鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 be happier with the dedication and hard work our Esports players put in,鈥� Head Coach Mikeal Pecot said. He attributed their success to 鈥渉ard work and dedication.鈥�
The team motto is “Do Better,” a simple way to remind one another to do their best in everything they do. 鈥淲e had a few players who were all in, pushing the other players to be the best they can be, that鈥檚 what set them apart,鈥� Pecot added.
He was also really pleased that the founder of the College鈥檚 Gaming Lab, Steve Shoemaker, was on hand to witness Central Penn鈥檚 first Esports championship in his favorite game, Rocket League, that Monday night. Steve had been part of the school for 25 years, working in the IT Department. He had the vision of starting Esports at Central Penn. Steve began the gaming lab that featured 7 MSI PCS, 3 game systems, and a retro console with 8000+ games.
Pecot recollected, “I started right as he was retiring so he got to showing me the ropes and initially passed ownership/overseer of the lab to me! As a gamer, this was a dream come true. During his last semester, we both did extensive research on becoming an Esports Program. He then retired, and I took over the lab and transformed his vision of hopefully becoming an Esports program to becoming an Esports program part of NACE!”
鈥淕rabbing the NACE Championship in their very first season as a varsity sport is huge! It sets a high bar for what this program can achieve as they continue to build and grow together,鈥� Central Penn鈥檚 Athletic Director Kasey Hicks said. 鈥淭his is exciting for our Esports team, coaches, and the entire Central Penn community! I have no doubt that, under the leadership of Coach Pecot and Coach Lewis, our Esports program will continue to be a powerhouse program in Central PA.鈥�
The Central Penn Esports team’s future goals will be to defend their championship, to continue to win games under all game titles, and just grow as a program overall. In the meantime, Coach Pecot and Coach Lewis will continue to promote team togetherness through team bonding outside of gaming for everyone to get to know each other better and to visit other esports programs to motivate the team even more.
Assistant Coach Don Lewis was equally proud and believes their first-year status actually inspired them, not impeded them.鈥淚t is nothing short of amazing to see what our team was able to accomplish in a year. I wish I could tell you that there was a magic trick or a Hail Mary play that made everything come together, but that is not the case. Everyone put in the work and the time it took to be successful. With all of us pushing towards the same goal, we were bound to be successful in one way or another.鈥�
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.