GLENSIDE - The Arcadia University Overwatch program concluded its trips to Collegaite Esports Commisioners Cup (CECC) in Waco, Texas and National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) in San Antonio, Texas with top finishes on the national stage.

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Arcadia Director of Esports Matthew Chattin '21 said of the experience: "Both of these national events gave us the opportunity to showcase our abilities at the highest level while providing our players with a rare and memorable experience. Esports is a spectator sport, and much of the atmosphere is lost in remote competition. Competing face-to-face, hearing the crowd cheer, and showing grace in both victory and defeat helps strengthen character."



The Knights entered the CECC Tournament looking to make an impact on the national stage representing Arcadia for the first time in program history. Junior Ethan Piperno said of the experience, "The best part of Nationals for me was getting to play against the best players in the world. In both tournaments we not only played against but also put up a fight against the top talent in collegiate and the professional team as a whole. Getting that recognition from those other players and teams as a small school was surprising and really cool."

The Knights opened up play on May 1st against Briar Cliff University, falling 3-2. The next day, Arcadia notched a 3-2 victory against Texas A&M before falling 3-0 to Iowa State.



Head Coach Nicholas Letherbarrow explained, " These events really let us show the world who we are. Many teams came up to us and talked to us by name even though we had never met them before. It was like being a low tier celebrity. Lots of compliments about us as a team."

At the NECC Tournament later in the month, the Knights kicked off play with a 3-0 win over Northeastern before falling to top-5 opponents Fisher and Bryant-Stratton to finish off competition.

Sophomore Jack Santosusso said of his experience, "I thought it was great getting the opportunity to go because of our performance throughout the season and because the school was able to send us, and it was awesome to get the chance to meet players and coaches that are important in the scene." 

Junior Joe Khouri had the following to say - I really had a good time representing Arcadia and being able to actually see what we're doing on a physical scale. It was also nice to be able to do this with the team and have fun in another state."

The Knights finished the season ranked 17th nationally, the highest ranking a Esports team has had since program inception.



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