Back-to-back appearances!
Among the differences this year has brought, there's one thing we saw remain the same: Skippers Esports had a great regular season showing this semester, once again landing them in the National Tournament for every title they entered. Head Coach Jim "Jimmer" Jordan spoke highly of his team, "This season has been full of unique challenges for every person and every team. I'm not surprised at our results or our placements. We have a team of dedicated students who show up and give me 110% every single day. I'm very proud of what we have all achieved together and look forward to what's next for us."
Skippers Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League, and Valorant each had a stong showing and are looking for a shot at the NJCAAe National Titles for Fall 2020. This week begins the playoffs in the NJCAAe National Tournament, and the Skippers are on the hunt for more wins.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate competitor Jarod Graham is looking to continue his success. In the Winter 2020 season, Jarod (a.k.a. P00b) finished top in the nation as a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Doubles Finalist and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Singles Semifinalist. This year, he's looking to win it all. Graham said, "I'm so happy I got a chance to play in the playoffs again. I didn't think as much of it last semester, since most players were entered in. The higher cut off for who makes it in the playoffs this semester makes it way more challenging and exciting since every opponent will be a tricky one."
Graham finished Super Smash Bros. Ultimate regular season play ranked 10th nationally with a record of 6-2. After his NJCAAe Tournament round 32 win today versus Mott CC, Graham said, "It was a super close and thrilling match. I got a chance to talk to my opponent before the match and we had a great time catching up. We played against each other last semester and he considers me a rival. He saw my playoff match last semester and trained on his spacing techniques." He advances to 7-2 overall and is one step closer to his goal.
Last season, the Skippers Rocket League team was just shy of the title match, finishing their season in the semi-final. The Fall 2020 Skippers Rocket League team plays later tonight at 9 p.m. and are a strong team of three including Brent Baysinger (a.k.a. Brenty_B123), Matt Weglarz (a.k.a. wegz.) and captain Phil Winterbauer (a.k.a. flar1ing). This team has worked hard all semester, leading them to a 5th place national ranking headed into playoffs. They finished the season 6-2 and are looking for more wins through the playoffs.
This is the first semester for the Skippers Valorant team – with a strong start, and the bar set high for themselves. The five-player team includes six rotating players that have all put in the work: Andrew Coleman (a.k.a. Avisual), Ronin Groch (a.k.a. Grochie), Joseph Hermann (a.k.a. TheHermannator2) Raymond Hill (a.k.a. NaHot), Charles Trendy (a.k.a. Anime Slayer) and captain Phil Winterbauer. This group began the season on a 6-0 win streak and finished with a 6-2 record, ranked 4th nationally. Speaking about the regular season, Winterbauer said, "We keep coming out stronger and stronger every week and it's not just a one man show. Everyone has been throwing numbers on the board and we know our way around our agents."
To note the challenges that come up as they continue to advance and play tougher competition, Coleman added, "Every week brings a new challenger and every week we [strive to] come out on top.... we take this week by week." Skippers Valorant plays their first playoff match on Wednesday, December 9th at 5 p.m.
Continue to follow along with Skippers Esports on their twitter @sc4esports and on the Skippers Athletics website. To join the team next semester, contact the athletic department or Coach Jim at jrjordan@sc4.edu.
