Pratt, Kan - The Pratt Community College eSports team competed in the National Junior College Athletic Association eSports (NJCAAe) Invitational Qualifer Round 1 tournament over the weekend of September 3-4. The team competed in three seperate games including Rocket Leage, Call of Duty: Vanguard, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The Rocket League team consisting of Dakota Manz, Teagan Seibert and Nathaniel Moore started competition off against the two-time defending NJCAAe Rocket League champions from Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC). The team lost round one 3-0 against the Loggers, but would recieve a first round bye in the losers bracket and would win in round two against Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College due to a foreit. The faced Heartland Community College in round three of the losers bracket and would end their tournament in a 3-0 loss.
The Call of Duty: Vanguard team consisting of Brandon Roblyer, Luke Schmidt, Waddie Sandford and Dakota Manz kicked off their tournament as the number one seed and recieved a first round bye. In round two, they faced the Blue Dragons from Hutchinson Community College (HCC) and lost 3-0. In the losers bracket, the team faced the University of South Carolina-Sumter (USC-S) and lost 3-0 to end their tournament.
Freshman Matthias Holmes competed in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and took on a competitor from Salt Lake Community College. Holmes lost his first match of the tournament 3-0. He was scheduled to compete against Coastal Bend College in the first round of the losers bracket, but won due to a forfeit. On the second day of competition, Holmes faced Tallahassee Community College and lost 3-0 to end his tournament.
"It was a tough weekend for the eSports team, but a great learning experience for the level of competition we will face this season," said Head eSports Coach Charles Keefer. "This is the highest level of competition the eSports team has ever competed in and the level our program must get in order to be successful."
The team will continue to work and prepare for the second round of the invitational qualifers starting on September 17th.