BECKLEY, W.Va. — WVU Tech esports opened its fall campaign with three busy weeks of competition, earning victories across several titles while Golden Bear competitors represented Tech in ECAC and NECC play.
The opening stretch featured team victories in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rainbow Six Siege and Overwatch, individual wins in Street Fighter 6 and EA Sports FC 26 and strong finishes in Teamfight Tactics and Fortnite.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
WVU Tech has competed in both ECAC and NECC Super Smash Bros. Ultimate competition during the opening weeks of the season.
The Golden Bears opened ECAC play with 2-0 setbacks against Kean University on Sept. 21 and Catholic University on Sept. 28 before breaking through against Heidelberg SSBU Orange on Oct. 5.
WVU Tech swept Heidelberg 2-0 to collect its first ECAC victory of the season.
The Golden Bears also opened NECC competition Sept. 29 against UWSP Esports Black, earning a 2-0 victory to begin that schedule in the win column.
WVU Tech's Super Smash Bros. Ultimate roster includes Bryse Jenkins (ConcludedNut1), Rylan Ellison (RyeBread), Ralph Aaron Etaba Ateba (Wreck), Mark Imbing (Markieblue), Evan Ingram (Dunks), Adams S. Turpin-Abdulrazaaq Jr. and Tyler Vines (Tytanium).
Teamfight Tactics
Junior Triston Stover, competing as Sammy36, has represented WVU Tech through the first three weeks of Teamfight Tactics competition, finishing among the top four in each outing.
Stover opened the season with a runner-up finish and 13 points Sept. 21. He won the opening game of the competition before placing fourth in Game 2, finishing two points behind the overall winner.
He followed with another top-three performance Sept. 28, placing third overall with 10 points. Stover finished fifth in the opening game before climbing to third in Game 2.
Stover added a fourth-place showing Oct. 5 to give him finishes of second, third and fourth through his first three competitions.
EA Sports FC 26
Sophomore Luca Koenig, competing as Otto, is off to a 2-0 start in EA Sports FC 26 competition.
Koenig's season began with a 2-0 forfeit victory over D'Youville University and AJ on Sept. 28 before he took the pitch for his first played matchup against Hill College's chucky_gsm on Oct. 5.
Competing as Otto132708, Koenig won both games to complete the 2-0 sweep. He used Real Madrid to edge Paris Saint-Germain 4-3 in the opener before switching to FC Barcelona and pulling away for a 7-3 victory over PSG in the second game.
Koenig outscored his opponent 11-6 across the two games, giving him a plus-five goal differential in the matchup.
Street Fighter 6
Sophomore Ralph Aaron Etaba Ateba, competing as Wreck, bounced back from an opening-week loss with a seven-game victory over Russell Sage College on Sept. 29.
Wreck and ChoBro16 went back and forth throughout the first-to-four matchup. Russell Sage took Games 1 and 3 while Wreck answered in Games 2 and 4. Wreck moved ahead with a victory in Game 5 before ChoBro16 forced a deciding game by taking Game 6.
Wreck responded in Game 7 to secure the 4-3 victory and his first win of the season.
He opened the campaign Sept. 22 against Trine University's Tim Kokosa, competing as kokosa, and fell 4-0.
Rainbow Six Siege
WVU Tech made a strong debut in Rainbow Six Siege on Oct. 1, sweeping Niner Esports Gold 2-0.
The Golden Bears controlled both games of the matchup, winning each by a 7-2 score to open their season at 1-0.
The WVU Tech Rainbow Six Siege roster includes freshman Josiah Pilkington (DaBeastLoL), junior Andrew Gwinn (amgscythe), junior Tobias Hill (Salad) and senior Noah Tucker (bizzy.biyombo). Senior Patrick Hilbert (Hilbert) also appeared with the Golden Bears in the competition results.
Overwatch
WVU Tech also started its Overwatch season in the win column, sweeping Milwaukee White 3-0 on Oct. 5.
The Golden Bears put together standout performances across Route 66, Eichenwalde and Samoa.
Senior Keith Karwacki (TheWacki1) recorded 27 Micro Missile Kills on Route 66 before adding 23 High Energy Kills on Samoa. Senior Parker Jarrell (Quiet Otter) totaled 4:03 of objective time on Route 66.
Junior Jacob Ferguson (Mez) recorded 25 eliminations on Eichenwalde before adding seven Fan the Hammer Kills on Samoa. Junior Brahm Kesterson, competing as BurgerBrahm, added six Cyber Frag Kills on Eichenwalde.
The Golden Bear Overwatch roster also includes sophomore Keyera Adkins (sigh), freshman Kaylee Jude (Xelily) and junior Logan Oliver (Goomba678).
Rocket League
WVU Tech opened its ECAC Rocket League schedule with a pair of matches during the first two weeks of competition.
The Golden Bears battled Williamson Nitro in their Sept. 24 opener before falling 4-2. Tech returned Oct. 1 against Trine RL Navy, with Trine taking the match 4-1.
Junior Jay Franklin (Kase), junior Aiden Mills (Solarfrogs) and junior Jon Wilson (Neblosk) represented WVU Tech in the matchup with Trine.
Tech broke through for its victory in Game 3 behind two goals and an assist from Kase and a goal from Neblosk. Kase finished the five games with seven goals, while Neblosk recorded two goals and nine saves. Solarfrogs added a goal in Game 4.
Marvel Rivals
The Golden Bears opened NECC Marvel Rivals competition against Lakeland University on Sept. 29, falling 3-0.
WVU Tech totaled 43 kills, 22 assists, 16 final hits, 68,392 damage and 33,244 healing in the season opener.
Senior Benjamin Cogar (I3ennii) recorded 13 final hits along with nine kills and 10 assists. Sophomore Wyatt Plumley (Plum_Ghost) finished with 12 assists and seven final hits, while fifth-year Anthony Biley (almightyfoot1221) added 10 assists and six final hits.
Senior Ty Bock (BockShiesty) added nine assists and three final hits. Tyler Vines (Tytanium) and sophomore Jordan Green (JrdnNextDoor) were also among the Golden Bears listed in the matchup.
Fortnite
WVU Tech has been represented across Fortnite Zero Build Duos, Fortnite Zero Build Solo and Fortnite Builds Duos during the opening weeks of competition.
Senior Ryan Hayden (Dr.unrushed) and senior Keith Karwacki (TheWacki1) opened Zero Build Duos competition Sept. 22, finishing 30th with 80 points.
Senior Samuel Duff, competing as Algebrother18, has represented Tech in Zero Build Solo competition. Duff placed 27th with 103 points in the opening week Sept. 25 before scoring 193 points and placing 29th Oct. 2.
Sophomores Nathan Vecellio and William Vila turned in one of Tech's strongest early Fortnite finishes in Builds Duos, placing 13th with 183 points Sept. 24.
Junior Brayden Hanshew (Mune) and fifth-year Karl Hoppe (karl1x) followed in Builds Duos competition Oct. 1, finishing 31st with 80 points.
What's next
The Golden Bears return to competition Oct. 6 with four events on the schedule at the Golden Bear Esports Lab in Beckley.
WVU Tech is set for Week 3 of Fortnite Zero Build Duos with Hayden and Karwacki, while Wreck faces Northern Kentucky University's Xhaos in Street Fighter 6. The Golden Bears will also continue NECC competition in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate against Eastern University and Marvel Rivals against the University of Michigan-Flint.
