Sangamon Sun

The Illinois College Esports team recently participated in their first LAN tournament of the season, held in Hammond, Indiana. Hosted by Purdue Northwest, the competition featured games such as Valorant, Overwatch, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (SSBU). The team faced challenges in Valorant and Overwatch but secured a third-place finish in SSBU out of five teams.

In the Valorant category, Illinois College ended with a 0-3 record. They lost their opening match to Cornell College with a score of 13-1 and were subsequently eliminated by Simpson College. Columbia College won the Valorant bracket by defeating Roosevelt University 2-0.

The Overwatch team also struggled, losing 3-0 to Briar Cliff University in the first round and then falling again to Indiana University with the same score in the lower bracket. Briar Cliff University ultimately claimed victory in the Overwatch bracket against Cornell College with a 4-0 win.

Illinois College's SSBU team had a more successful run. They began with a strong 2-0 victory over Purdue Northwest but were defeated by Miami University (OH) in the second round. In an attempt to return to the winners' bracket, they overcame Cornell College before being bested by Michigan State University. Miami University (OH) later secured the SSBU title by beating Michigan State 2-0.

Jake Petrovich delivered an impressive performance for Illinois College in SSBU singles, finishing second overall. Julian Luaders also made significant contributions during a lower bracket match against Cornell, securing ten stocks on his own to help achieve a top-three finish for his team.

Looking ahead, Illinois College is set to compete at the MVEC Championship at Simpson College on April 5th and 6th.