SUNY Canton Esports Lands in Top Tier of SUNY, ECAC

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CANTON, NY (12/11/2020) Every SUNY Canton Esports team made the playoffs during the Fall 2020 semester.

More than 80 students on nine teams competed this year in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and the newly formed SUNY Esports League. The teams' collective overall performance put SUNY Canton in the upper echelon of the esports scene in the northeast region.

"We have solidly established ourselves as a serious competitor within the esports community in both SUNY and in the northeast," said Charles W. Murray, SUNY Canton esports coordinator. "SUNY Esports has allowed us to expand our teams and create more chances for balanced competition."

The college has always had a significant presence in "Overwatch." The primary team came in second in the ECAC this semester following a hard-fought match against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. This is the third time SUNY Canton has competed for an Overwatch title, winning one in 2018.

Other team standings include:

  • New this year, the college began offering competitive play in "Valorant." The team made the Sweet 16 in the ECAC and the top eight in SUNY.
  • In their inaugural season, the newly formed "Smite" team finished in the top eight of SUNY.
  • Students playing "Fortnite" earned the number one seed in the SUNY League with 34 wins and just one loss. SUNY Canton finished in the Sweet 16 in SUNY and won an additional 42 games in the ECAC.
  • The "League of Legends" team picked up the fourth seed in the ECAC, but came up short against number one seed Sacred Heart University. Several of the players held top five stats during the tournament.
  • "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" landed a sixth-place finish in SUNY and top eight in the ECAC, while the secondary and tertiary teams competed valiantly in play-in matches.
  • "Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege" made it to the third round of the semifinals in the SUNY League, after a season record of 15 wins and four losses.
  • "Call of Duty Modern Warfare" finished in the top 16 within SUNY.

As SUNY's leader in esports, SUNY Canton helped the State University of New York create the first system-wide esports league to create new opportunities for competitive play among the 64 public colleges and universities. During its inaugural season, the SUNY League attracted more than 1,000 participants playing on 342 teams from 45 SUNY schools. The SUNY League is coordinated by Murray, with gameplay orchestrated through LeagueSpot, a leading platform partner for esports programs. Extreme Networks is both SUNY Canton's closest partner in esports and the official networking provider for the SUNY-wide esports program and its arenas. For more information about the SUNY League, contact Murray by email.

About SUNY Canton

As Northern New York's premier college for career-driven bachelor's degrees, associate degrees and professional certificate programs, SUNY Canton delivers quality hands-on programs in digital design, engineering technology, health, management and public service. 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 22 online degree programs. The college placed first in 14 categories in a SUNY-Wide Student Opinion Survey, most notably in career services, tutoring, library resources, and classroom facilities. The SUNY Canton Kangaroos 15 traditional athletic teams compete at the NCAA Division III level as part of the North Atlantic Conference. SUNY Canton also features varsity esports and cheerleading.