BANNER ELK, N.C. – The Lees-McRae College esports team, under head coach
Casey Courtney, has had an impressive start to the season as part of the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC), which is a nationwide conference of over 140 schools that compete in divisions with five different titles. The Bobcats compete in four of those titles, including League of Legends, Valorant, Overwatch, and Rainbow Six Siege.
"This is an impressive start to the season for our team," said Courtney. "We have a lot of talent on this team and a lot of new faces who are blending well with our returners. Our League of Legends and Rainbow Six Siege teams have been successful so far, but I'm excited to see what the Overwatch and Valorant teams have in store in the coming weeks."
Here is the breakdown of all of the action so far this season:
League of Legends
The Lees-McRae team competes in the Emergents division of NECC and are 3-1 through four weeks of play. Each match is a best of three with total games played record of 6-1. The only game that the Bobcats lost was to the Johnson & Wales University Yellow team, but then went 2-0 versus other opponents. Through three weeks, the Bobcats are first in their division of 10 schools.
Matchups: (the color designation means the university is fielding multiple teams)
- Lees-McRae College vs Clark University (Grey team) W
- Lees-McRae College vs Butler University (White team) W
- Lees-McRae College vs Johnson and Wales University (Yellow team) W
- Lees-McRae College vs. University of North Alabama (Purple team) L
Rainbow Six Siege
The Lees-McRae team competes in the Navigators division of NECC and are 3-1 through four weeks of play. Each match is a best of three and their total games record is 6-3. Most matches have been tightly contested, but the most recent one they had a strong showing against Central Methodist University with a 2-0 performance. They're currently tied for second place in the division.
Matchups:
- Lees-McRae College vs University of Nebraska-Kearney W
- Lees-McRae College vs Central Methodist University (Academy) L
- Lees-McRae College vs Rio Grande University W
- Lees-McRae College vs Central Methodist University (Reserve) W
Overwatch
The Lees-McRae team competes in the Navigators Division of NECC and has played three tough matches so far in the three weeks of play. The team is actively working on new strategies and is looking forward to their next match to unveil the changes they have made.
Matchups:
- Lees-McRae College vs Baker University L
- Lees-McRae College vs Champlain College L
- Lees-McRae College vs Western Colorado University (Blue) L
Valorant
The Lees-McRae team competes in the Navigators Division of NECC and are 1-2 through three weeks of matches. Games are best of three and their total round differential is 3-5. The Bobcats started slow with an 0-2 week, and then took Newberry (Scarlet) to multiple overtimes in a tightly contested matchup before unfortunately losing in the end. Lees-McRae then bounced back with a strong week 3 over Samford University.
Matchups:
- Lees-McRae College vs Murray State (Blue) L
- Lees-McRae College vs Newberry College (Scarlet) L
- Lees-McRae College vs Samford University W
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
