SUNY Canton Competes in First Ever Varsity eSports Match

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CANTON, NY (01/30/2018) SUNY Canton battled Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) in the college's first varsity eSports showing on Sunday, Jan. 28.

The fledgling team played well during their first matchup of Riot Games' Collegiate League of Legends Eastern Conference Competition but were unable to upset the higher-ranked SNHU.

SUNY Canton made an exciting push on the middle lane, only to have SNHU outflank its champions to earn victory.

"We worked hard, analyzed the other team and had a strong plan going into the match," said Kangaroos eSports Co-captain Joe M. Canton of the Bronx. "We picked our bans wisely, but SNHU had more experience playing as a team, which translated into a solid victory."

The Roos tried a different strategy and were upset again by the platinum- and diamond-level SNHU team during the second round of play.

"I'm proud of how these athletes came together in such a short amount of time," said SUNY Canton eSports Coach Robert J. Snow. "The match was exciting to watch, and I can't wait to see how they play next week."

After the competition, the teammates started to work on a plan for their next match. SUNY Canton will compete again at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3, against the Keuka College Wolves.

The eSports program was formed in December 2017 to complement several academic offerings at the college. SUNY Canton is a member of the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). The college's Hearthstone team will play its first NACE match on Feb. 19.

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 engineering technology, health, management and public service and recently received number one rankings in library resources, library services and tutoring services in the SUNY Student Opinion Survey. The college's faculty members are noted for their professional real-world experience in addition to outstanding academic credentials. SUNY Canton OnLine offers hundreds of flexible and convenient courses as well as 13 online degree programs. The college's 15 athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level and are joining the North Atlantic Conference beginning in the 2018-19 academic year. For more information, visit www.canton.edu.