Cougars Conclude Successful Season
The USF ESports program had a number of firsts in the 2023-2024 school year. Beginning in the fall, the Fortnite team qualified for the CCA Fortnite Creative Series. The Cougars were one of only 48 teams across the entire United States to qualify for this competition with a $50,000 prize pool on the line. The team consisted of junior Jacob Engle, junior Henry Meyers, and freshman Chaz VanAlstyne. After several weeks of competition, the Cougs just missed out on finishing in the top 24 which would have earned them a spot in the Grand Finals and a guaranteed slice of the $50,000 prize pool.
Also in the fall, the Rocket League team, led by junior Nick Anlgin, competed in the NECC for the first time. After finishing the regular season with a 4-2 record, the Cougars qualified for the NECC playoffs as the number two seed in their division. The Cougars then reverse swept Valparaiso in the Quarterfinals before losing to the eventual champions Carroll University in the Semifinals. The USF Rocket League team had another great semester of competition this Spring, finishing 4-3, just missing out on making the playoffs. Freshman Maxwell Hahn made a significant impact in his first season with the Cougs and junior Carson Kreischer continued his steady play from last year.
The USF Super Smash Bros team had big shoes to fill after graduating two outstanding players in 2023, including 2023 GLEC Player of the Year Joseph Caffee. Freshman brothers Brendan, Austin, and Caleb Harrigan jumped right in to fill those shoes and each improved dramatically over the last two semesters. Senior Ivan Serapio also continued his phenomenal play from the previous two seasons. Led this season by sophomore Jagger Walraven, the Cougars fought hard to finish 4-5 in the GLEC in the Fall and 5-7 in the spring.
This spring, the Cougs had another first, competing in Overwatch 2 for the very first time. Led by sophomore Preston Smith, the Cougars fought hard in their first season but ultimately finished 1-5, picking up a 3-0 win against Huntington University. Camille Ice, Memphis Lee, Aniyah Eldridge, and Connor Reinking rounded out the Cougs starting lineup for the season, and all gained valuable competitive experience going into next season.
The USF ESports team is actively recruiting and offering scholarships for the Fall of 2024 in Rocket League, Valorant, Overwatch 2, Super Smash Bros, and Fortnite. If you or anyone you know is interested in joining the USF ESports team, please contact Head ESports Coach Tyler Speigl at tspeigl@sf.edu.
