SUNY Canton Esports Preps for First 'Home' Exhibition After ECAC Tournament

Three teams are set to play in a home exhibition match against Alfred State sponsored by Mountain Dew Game Fuel, April 5.

Canton, NY (04/04/2019) — The SUNY Canton "Overwatch" team placed second during the Eastern College Athletic Conference Esports (ECAC) Championships at HV Gamer Con. Two of the teams' players picked up all tournament honors during matches, held Sunday, March 29 at the Capital Center in Albany.

My V. Dang, a Game Design and Development major from Syracuse, and Alexander DeLavergne, an undeclared major from Heuvelton, both received awards for their gameplay during the tournament. The team crushed competition in elimination rounds before falling to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in the championship match.

"HV Gamer Con presented a new level of accomplishment for our team," said Charles W. Murray III, SUNY Canton esports coordinator and Overwatch coach. "Our most defining match was played in the finals when we toppled Drew University before advancing to face RPI."

The team had posted a 6-0 record during the regular season and were seeded second going into the tournament. Their loss was the team's first recorded defeat in ECAC play.

SUNY Canton's "League of Legends" and "Fortnite" teams also competed at the event but came up short during quarter final matches. The "League of Legends" team finished 3-3 prior to the championship, and the "Fortnite" team closed out a 7-2 season.

The "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate," "FIFA," and "Hearthstone" teams are still looking to finish their regular seasons strong.

Game Fuel Showcase Event

Although the majority of ECAC play is drawing to a close, the Roos esports teams are far from done playing. Mountain Dew Game Fuel has sponsored a series of exhibition matches against Alfred State beginning at 5 p.m. Friday, April 5, in the SUNY Canton eSports Arena. The vast majority of eSports matches take place online, so this event marks the first time the college has hosted a live home game.

The college has recently partnered with Mountain Dew Game Fuel, which has rapidly become the preferred drink among SUNY Canton gamers. The company has provided drinks and branded merchandise to be used in the esports program and for prizes.

Other partnerships include a campus-wide connection with Extreme Networks, who provides the high-speed low latency connections for competitive video games.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in digital design, engineering technology, health, management and public service. Faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 18 online degree programs. The college placed first in 14 categories in a SUNY-Wide Student Opinion Survey, most notably in career services, tutoring, library resources, and classroom facilities. The college's 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also offers varsity esports and cheerleading. For more information, visit www.canton.edu.

Media Attachments

Pictured are (l to r) My V. Dang, a Game Design and Development major from Syracuse, and Alexander DeLavergne, an undeclared major from Heuvelton, holding their Eastern College Athletic Conference plaques. The teammates play on SUNY Canton’s “Overwatch” as part of the college’s competitive esports program.