BECKLEY, W.Va. — WVU Tech esports remained unbeaten in Rainbow Six Siege and collected two Victory Royales in Fortnite Builds Duos competition during a two-day stretch Oct. 22-23 at the Golden Bear Esports Lab.
Junior Andrew Gwinn recorded 44 eliminations as the Golden Bears rallied past Marietta College to improve to 4-0 in Rainbow Six Siege. Junior Brayden Hanshew and fifth-year Karl Hoppe added two first-place finishes in Fortnite Builds Duos. Tech also faced SUNY Empire Elites RL Yellow in Rocket League and Illini Esports Blue in Overwatch.
Rainbow Six Siege
WVU Tech improved to 4-0 in Rainbow Six Siege competition Thursday, Oct. 22, rallying for a 2-1 victory over Marietta College.
Marietta opened the series with a 7-3 victory on Club House, but the Golden Bears responded with an 8-6 win on Villa. Tech carried that momentum into the deciding map, defeating Marietta 7-2 on Nighthaven Labs to secure the comeback.
Junior Andrew Gwinn (amgscythe) led WVU Tech with 44 eliminations across the three maps. Gwinn recorded nine in the opener before delivering 20 in the Game 2 victory. He added 15 on Nighthaven Labs, leading the Golden Bears in eliminations in all three games.
Senior Noah Tucker (bizzy.biyombo) finished with 21 eliminations, including 11 on Villa. Senior Patrick Hilbert (Hilbert225) added 19 eliminations, highlighted by 10 in Game 2.
Senior Ty Bock (BockShiesty) contributed 18 eliminations across the series, including eight in the deciding victory. Junior Tobias Hill (salad.wvut) recorded 10 eliminations while competing in Games 1 and 3. Freshman Josiah Pilkington (DaBeastLoL3) appeared in Game 2, contributing five eliminations.
The Golden Bears combined for 117 eliminations across the three maps. Tech previously defeated Niner Esports Gold and UNC Asheville's AVL Varsity by 2-0 scores before earning a 2-1 victory over NC State Black on Oct. 14. The win over Marietta extended WVU Tech's unbeaten start to four matches, with the Golden Bears holding an 8-2 record in maps played.
Fortnite Builds Duos
Junior Brayden Hanshew (Mune) and fifth-year Karl Hoppe (karl1x) recorded two Victory Royales in Week 5 of ECAC Fortnite Builds Duos competition Thursday, Oct. 22.
The duo opened the evening with a first-place finish and three eliminations in Game 1.
Hanshew and Hoppe followed with an estimated fifth-place finish and no eliminations in Game 2 before recording zero points in Game 3. They closed the competition with another Victory Royale in Game 4, collecting seven eliminations in their second first-place finish of the evening. The pair recorded 10 confirmed eliminations in their two victories. An elimination total for Game 3 was not available.
WVU Tech's updated athletics schedule lists Hanshew and Hoppe with 194 points for Week 5, a total based on the reported results and an estimated fifth-place finish in Game 2.
The performance followed their earlier ECAC competitions, including a 35th-place finish with 122 points Oct. 8.
Rocket League
WVU Tech opened its ECAC Rocket League matchup against SUNY Empire Elites RL Yellow with a victory Thursday, Oct. 22, before SUNY Empire rallied to take the series 4-1.
The Golden Bears claimed the opening game 1-0, with sophomore Jay Franklin (kasejay_14) scoring the lone goal off an assist from junior Jon Wilson (Neblosk).
SUNY Empire responded with an 8-0 victory in Game 2 and an 11-0 win in Game 3. The Elites followed with 4-0 and 5-0 victories to close the series.
Franklin led WVU Tech with nine saves across the five games, including five in the opening victory. Wilson added eight saves and the assist on Tech's opening-game goal. Junior Aiden Mills (Solarfrogs) contributed five saves.
The Golden Bears combined for 22 saves across the series. The result moved WVU Tech to 1-3 in ECAC Rocket League competition, following its first victory of the season, a 4-0 sweep of Williamson Speed on Oct. 15.
Overwatch
WVU Tech fell 3-0 to Illini Esports Blue in Overwatch competition Friday, Oct. 23.
Illini opened the series with a 2-0 victory before taking Game 2 by a 3-0 score. The visitors completed the sweep with another 3-0 win in Game 3.
Senior Keith Karwacki (TheWacki1) led the Golden Bears with 32 eliminations across the three games, including 17 in the finale. Karwacki also recorded a team-high 27,347 damage mitigated.
Junior Logan Oliver (Goomba678) finished with 24 eliminations, highlighted by 12 in Game 3. Sophomore Keyera Adkins (SSighh) added 23 eliminations, including 11 in the opening game.
Senior Parker Jarrell (QuietOtter) led WVU Tech's support efforts with 22,533 healing and 26 assists. Jarrell recorded 16 assists and 8,623 healing in Game 3. Freshman Kaylee Jude (Xelily) contributed 18 eliminations, 17 assists and 20,736 healing across the series.
The Golden Bears combined for 110 eliminations and 53 assists over the three games. WVU Tech Tech moved to 1-3 in Overwatch competition, with its previous victory coming in a 3-0 sweep of Milwaukee White on Oct. 5.
What's Next
WVU Tech returns to competition Monday, Oct. 26, with three events scheduled for 8 p.m. Junior Triston Stover competes in Teamfight Tactics, sophomore Luca Koenig continues EA Sports FC 26 competition and the ECAC Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team faces Stockton Smash Ultimate.
On Tuesday, Oct. 27, the unbeaten NECC Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team takes on Buena Vista Blue at 8 p.m. Seniors Ryan Hayden and Keith Karwacki return for Week 6 of Fortnite Zero Build Duos at 8 p.m., while sophomore Ralph Aaron Etaba Ateba competes in Street Fighter 6 at the same time. Marvel Rivals faces Illini Esports Blue at 8:15 p.m.
Rainbow Six Siege looks to extend its unbeaten start Wednesday, Oct. 28, when WVU Tech faces FSU Maroon at 8 p.m.
Rocket League returns Thursday, Oct. 29, against Trine RL White at 8 p.m. Fortnite Builds Duos also continues with Week 6 competition featuring Hanshew and Hoppe, along with sophomores William Vila and Nathan Vecellio. Both duos are scheduled for 8 p.m.
All competitions are scheduled for the Golden Bear Esports Lab in Beckley.
