(CLEVELAND, Ga.) – The Truett McConnell University competitive gaming team had a ground breaking fall season by earning the programs first ever team victory over Denver University, along with asserting a competitive presence amongst multiple DI colleges with first-year Head Coach Joseph Winkler at the helm.
“With the fall season coming to a close, we look forward to next season in competing in Overwatch 2 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2,” said Head Coach Joseph Winkler. “We were excited to conclude the fall by live-streaming R6 Siege on campus, with fans showing support and plan to have more live streamed competitions next season.”
Esports Chess (October 1, October 8, October 15, October 22, October 29, November 5)
Mahnken, a former Georgia State Champion, opened the Esports Chess season ranked 289 out of 950 players. Mahnken continued to climb the ladder after winning around two matches a week, reaching a ranking of 279 and eventually ended the season at 255 out of 950 to become the first TMU competitive gamer to qualify for an Esports National Tournament. The freshman made history by representing the Bears at nationals, and shows great promise in breaking the top 200 players next season, with additional goals of tallying victories at the national tournament.
Multiversus 1v1 (August 23) & Multiversus 2v2 (August 27)
Multiversus is a fighting competition with each team or individual beginning with three lives and the first to lose all lives is eliminated. The best two out of three winners continues to advance in a typical bracket setting.
The season began with Will Mahnken and Jarod Valladares in the Multiversus 1v1 tournament hosted by AVGL Trials. Valladares was featured securing two wins, while Mahnken earned a single win of his own. In the Multiversus 2v2 tournament, Mahnken and Grayson Freeman battled together to obtain two wins, but ultimately fell after showing their grit through the remainder the round to the tournament champion.
Rainbow 6 Siege (September 29, October 27, November 3, November 10)
Rainbow 6 Siege is a tactical military competition where each team is either guarding or diffusing a bomb. The winner is determined by the first team to win seven rounds, along with best two out of three. The fall season bracket was a round robin of six teams. The Bears R6 Siege team included (Leader) Noah Greene, (Co-Leader) Adrian Berry, Valladares, Zachary Hall and Joshua Bailey.
After suffering tough losses to many DI teams, beginning with Kansas State University who carried a semi-pro competitor, UCONN and Central Michigan, TMU was capable of securing their first win over Denver University. Unfortunately, the Bears had to give up a forfeit against VCU due to the lack of a full team because of sickness, but bounced back against St. Andrews University. TMU concluded the season with a very tight loss after banding together to take on the Knights and finished up the season with a final record of 1-5.
“We plan on working hard to continue raising the bar in the way we compete, and I am proud of how much each of the players have grown this season. We have already signed two new players to compete in the spring, Rylee Carroll and Damarisse Valladares, and look forward in the opportunities in spreading the message of Jesus Christ in every competition!”
