DANVILLE, Ky. (WTVQ/CC Public Relations) – Centre College Esports won its first National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) championship title on Dec. 7. The Rocket League team, after a difficult end to its regular season, won out despite being the last seed in the playoffs.
“Winning this championship is huge,” said Head Coach and Director John Harney, associate professor of history. “This was a good team that had a very difficult second half of the regular season. I’m glad they played to their ability in playoffs.”
In addition to the Rocket League team, Centre’s Overwatch team also had a great season, making it to the playoffs this season. They were also promoted after going 4-0 in the division in which they were initially placed.
Harney said, that in a more general and longer-lasting sense, the team’s championship win is validation for the entire program.
“We have students who have worked really hard and have bought in to a program with core, defining ideas: we want to represent the college well as players and as people; we understand the value of Esports as part of a balanced college experience with education at its core; we want to work to be inclusive and welcoming and fun,” he added. “This championship is such a boost not just for the Rocket League team, who thoroughly deserve a lot of credit, but the whole program.”
Centre’s Esports program was developed from scratch with student leadership at the core, in the midst of a global pandemic.
Harney and Michael Bradshaw, associate professor of computer science founded the Esports program in 2019, stemming from the already existing Centre Esports student club. They were particularly interested in giving students a chance to represent the College, promoting healthy enjoyment of video games, video game culture and giving more students more opportunities to socialize and work together while doing both.
The program started with the Blizzard-produced game Overwatch, and the team was able to stay afloat during the worst months of the pandemic. Students began competing in the NECC in the spring of 2021, adding a Rocket League team to the program.
Student leadership has been a central aspect of the program, Harney explains, with team captains who hold a great deal of responsibility to organize and motivate the teams. Between the Overwatch Team, the Rocket League team and students who support the program by helping with online content, Centre Esports has 17 students regularly active in the program.
“Being able to build a championship winning team in two years is a great achievement and shows that our future has a lot to hold,” said Rocket League Team Captain Joe Green ’22. “To me, this meant everything, because as a senior and a captain there is no better way to end your career than to lead your team to a championship.”
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