HVCC E-Sports Collects National Championship Prize
By Nolan Cleary, Editor-in-Chief
The E-Sports club at Hudson Valley Community College was recently awarded a key prize. The club took home the National Junior College Athletic Association eSports (NJCAAe) National Championship award in its first year of competition. The club was one of the few operating sports programs since last Summer, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The club’s virtual elements allowed students to continue participating in the program.
Hudson Valley Community College students Elijah Harris of Schenectady and Mohonasen and Ryan Closson of Ballston Spa took down Northeastern Technical College on Friday, April 30 while playing the game ‘Call of Duty: Warzone’. The tournament had a best of five format. Harris and Closson won by a 3-5 margin.
“Congratulations to Coach Bob Stranahan and the whole team on a successful first season”, Justin Hoyt, Hudson Valley Community College Director of Athletics said in an official statement. “I’m proud of the way our student-athletes competed all year and ending with a National Championship is truly remarkable. I’m excited for the future of our eSports program.”
Adam Sopris, the assistant director of athletics and sports at Hudson Valley Community College told The Hudsonian he was not at all surprised by the victory. “Our coaching staff has done a great job building the program and provided weekly updates on the success of each team,” Sopris said. Sopris did however remain impressed by the club’s victory. “I think it is a great accomplishment for the eSports team to win a national championship in its inaugural season,” Sopris said.
Head coach Bob Stranahan was also impressed by Harris and Closson’s accomplishments. “I’m really proud of [Harris and Closson] that were able to do it. They met each other and were able to do something great with the game they played. I feel a sense of pride for them, and accomplishment. Being in such a tough time like COVID, I think it’s a real accomplishment,” Stranahan said.
Stranahan said he was optimistic of Harris and Closson’s accomplishment from the get go. “They are both very very talented players. I was confident going into the playoffs that they would do very well,” Stranahan said the best of five format was a big advantage for his players. “That was huge for us. That’s where the talent really shines, and we had talent. I just wanted it to really come together, and it did come together.”
As sports start to become accessible on campus, many in the athletic department hope for more in person activities, as coaches and staff look to the future. “We plan to offer all 20 NJCAA sports starting August 1 for the 2021-22 academic year,” Sopris said. “I’m hoping we’re more on campus next year, after COVID, and we can get more of a presence, just in terms of people wearing jerseys, and people saying ‘What are you doing? Oh, there’s an E-Sports games’, and just getting the awareness out there,” Sopris said.
Sopris said he believes one of the players involved in the game, Elijah Harris has a bright future in the field. “Elijah is going to UAlbany, and hopefully there are some great opportunities for him.