UW-Stevens Point welcomes a new kind of champion

The global phenomenon of esports has evolved video games from a recreational household activity to a $1 billion industry that rivals the likes of traditional sports.

With the help of the tools in their new Esports Center, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Esports Club is proving they are here to compete - and win.

Six members from UWSP's Overwatch 2 Purple team took home the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) Challengers Division National Championship this spring in their inaugural year with a win over Illinois State.

The team competed in conference games with schools across the Midwest, winning every match until they faced Illinois State's Redbird Ajax team in a regional bracket match. After being moved into a last chance qualifier lower bracket, they fought their way back into the grand finals to win their rematch with the Redbirds and secure the national championship in their division.

Esports Club president and junior varsity Overwatch team member Ariana Mueller was impressed by how far the team and club has come.

"The growth rate has been insane," said Mueller. "You can see it from last semester where we didn't have anybody even make it out of their division to now having multiple teams making it out of their division on top of a national champion as well."

Holden Iversen, a junior and Overwatch 2 championship team member/game lead, credits the Esports Center in the College of Professional Studies in allowing the club to have a better sense of community that felt lacking in his previous years with the organization.

Founded and advised by Dylon Lyons, a 2019 graduate who works in IT College Support, , the club started out with only a handful of members. However, it has quickly grown in popularity, reaching more than 50 members this last semester.

The club consists of seven competitive teams in games such as Apex Legends, League of Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, Overwatch 2 and Super Smash Bros. More teams and games will be available for students to compete during the upcoming fall semester. The group is open to students of any skill level/major.

"While we are focused on being in that competitive scene, we do welcome any type of player," Mueller said. "I started at probably the bottom of the Overwatch ranks and now have started to climb, learn and now play on the junior varsity team."

The biggest thing they are looking for now are people who are open to learning and getting involved in the organization, she said. "I feel like anybody who's been involved in team sports or even group projects in college knows it makes a big difference if you're all working together as a team versus working separately."

Teams practice at least three nights a week and have one night a week on which they compete against another school. On competition nights, games are streamed on Twitch or YouTube and are commentated similar to traditional sports by casters in the Esports Casting Room.

The organization also welcomes students to propose new games for competition. "If a group of five students came up to us and wanted to start their own Call of Duty team, I'd be right there with you, and you are good to go," Mueller said.

Looking ahead to the fall semester, the organization is looking to partner with local businesses to host community gaming events to garner additional interest and public recognition for the club. Iversen says the club is also excited to bring in new student members to form teams in additional game titles.

"You have to take in those new players, help them improve and have fun teaching them why you love the game," said Iversen.

If you do not play games but are still interested in the world of esports, Mueller said there is something for everyone, such as being a club officer or working on club marketing and graphic design.

"The more we grow, the more opportunities we have to get to the points like the Overwatch team winning their national championship," Mueller said. "It really shows we do have the ability to do this, which is crazy to me in what I would call our first year afloat on campus.

"I am excited to see where we will go, and I encourage people to check it out. You might find something in it that you really love."

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