Corrected: SUNY Canton Esports Teams Prep for ECAC Championships

CANTON, NY (11/28/2018) SUNY Canton's FIFA and Overwatch esports teams have advanced to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) finals, with matches scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 29.

Both teams will be looking to continue their undefeated ECAC season record and earn the college's first championship titles in esports.

The FIFA team, comprised of students from the Kangaroos men's soccer team and other enthusiasts, is scheduled to play Texas Wesleyan University at 5 p.m., Thursday. FIFA was announced as a new esports offering at the beginning of the fall 2018 semester. The team is mentored by volunteer coach Morgan Elliott, the college's videographer.

"It's been a great first season," Elliott said. "The students have been a pleasure to work with and they truly shine in the game. We love to see the integration and comradery between traditional student athletes and gamers."

Overwatch will take on the college's noted esports rival, Marist College, at 9 p.m., Thursday. Overwatch is one of the original three games the college adopted a year ago when beginning its venture into collegiate esports.

"Our season has really showed me what we are collectively capable of achieving," said Emily J. Oeser, Overwatch team captain and a Game Design and Development major from Palatine Bridge. "The team has been dedicated to their practice and discipline. This season has showcased our growth as players, teammates and friends."

The 12-member coed team is overseen by Head Esports Coach Robert J. Snow, who is also an instructional support associate in the Canino School of Engineering Technology.

"I'm extremely happy that two of our teams made it to the finals in the ECAC's inaugural season in competitive video gaming," Snow said. "It has been a joy watching strangers come together through their love of the game and work as a team to succeed in competition."

The college will be live streaming both final matches on its Twitch channel: www.twitch.tv/sunycanton.

The college's Hearthstone team also had a successful season and currently has a 5-1 record. The team will be playing their final regular season match against Marist College at 9 p.m. Wednesday, which will seed them in for their championship matches. The League of Legends team posted a 3-2 ECAC record and Fortnite also finished with at 3-2 record to close out the semester.

All esports matches are played in the college's brand-new eSports Arena equipped with 25 high-end Alienware computers, competition-ready peripherals and high-speed network connections provided by Extreme Networks. Online students also participate in matches from off campus.

About SUNY Canton

SUNY Canton is Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs. The college delivers quality hands-on programs in digital design, engineering technology, health, management and public service. The college's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. As SUNY's leader in online education, SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 16 online degree programs. The college's 15 athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference.