Fisher’s eSports Team Captures ECAC Championship

Last weekend, St. John Fisher University’s eSports Valorant 1 team won the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Winter Showdown Championship. The team, led by co-captains Jordyn Stevens and Jules Fravil, included Alyssa Malinowski, Braden Bourdreau, Damien Matthys, and Daniel Liscum.

In the fall, Fisher’s eSports team joined ECAC, the collegiate league with more than 200 member schools across all three NCAA Divisions. Teams compete in weekly ECAC competitions against other schools to gain experience and hone skills.

In teams of five, Valorant players act as agents with their own unique set of abilities that can be used to help win a match. The main game mode is played in rounds of attackers vs. defenders, and the first team to win 13 rounds wins the match.

In preparation for the Winter Showdown, Fisher’s team focused on addressing their weak spots and dissecting different aspects of their game play to strengthen their performance. After a semester of practices and scrimmages, the team competed for the first time at the in-person local area network (LAN) competition. Another differentiator for Fisher’s winning Valorant team was its more even mix of men and women players. While other teams have women on their rosters, no women played in the Winter Showdown tournament except for on Fisher’s team.

“Being our first LAN event, we were full of excitement and some nerves,” said Stevens. “We came across a few struggles during the event, but were able to adapt in order to come home with gold!”

With the trophy in hand, the team looks forward to generating more interest in eSports at Fisher and representing the University at more competitions.

“Our hopes are high for the spring and we definitely want to bring back another trophy if given the opportunity,” Stephens said.