Iowa Western Esports began as a thought, moved into action, and in one semester of competition brought together eighteen players to be part of the program launch. Expectations of championship potential were low due to the team's minimal time to build and prepare, but the team saw these hurdles as opportunities to display their true talents.
The Reivers competed in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate, Call of Duty: Gunfight, Call of Duty: Vanguard, Rocket League, and Rainbow Six in the inaugural semester amassing a win loss record of 43-23. The season capped off by Smash Ultimate National Champion Tony Merksick bringing back the team's first hardware; and the Call of Duty: Gunfight team bringing in a runner up finish in the tournament.
"It was an exciting start for us" Iowa Western Director of Esports Ian Alumbaugh said. "The teams knew the competition was going to be tough and more seasoned than us, so we had our work cut out for us to become competitive right away."
Monday nights featured Rocket League that played in a tough grouping against multiple playoff teams. The team consisted primarily of Tucker Downing, Reece Kelly, and Cade Bergantzel who all rank Diamond/Champ level. The team finished the season 5-4 including a huge win against then undefeated Jefferson State in Week 7.
"Rocket League is a tough game to play against teams that have played together for a while." Alumbaugh noted. "Our players were talented but had not played consistently together until January. So, we did not start off the season the way we had hoped, but they bounced back and made things interesting down the stretch."
Also featured on Monday nights was the team's Call of Duty: Vanguard squad that participated in the NJCAAE's pilot season of Intramural competition which utilizes que-based matching rather than scheduling. Iowa Western Vanguard finished the season unbeaten winning all matches they played (4-0).
"The Vanguard team faced up against trials beyond the scope of their game play" Alumbaugh noted. "The league was evaluating the que system, and there were hiccups along the way until we were able to finally work with the league to address better solutions. When the team played, they did very well which is exciting for next year as we move the team to competitive competition."
Tuesday nights, Rainbow Six Siege played in what turned out to be one of the toughest groupings in the league. Featuring eventual National Champion Wichita State Tech, and playoff bound Northern Virginia and Hocking in their shortened 7-week season. The team came close multiple times to winning multiple times, but in the end could not capitalize and finished the season 0-6.
"R6 is one of the games that strategy is essential" said Alumbaugh. "We had not even planned to play the title until the final day of registration when the team formed and their first time playing together was in competitive play. They never gave up all season, and that is a testament to those players sticking with it throughout."
Wednesdays brought forth excitement with Super Smash Brothers Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch featured. Four players competed with all finishing over .500-win loss percentage. Led by Nebraska's #1 ranked Tony Merksick; the Reivers compiled a regular season record of 26-10. Both Jade Thornton and Tanner Williams ended their seasons 5-4. Sam Lampman won the group's tiebreaker to make the playoffs; but lost in the first round to unbeaten Lorain County's Matthew. Merksick, who is a Sonic main; ran through the regular season without dropping a round. Then in the playoffs only dropped one round to reigning National Champion Paul of Montgomery County before finishing the tournament as Iowa Western's first National Champion capped by a 3-0 win over Madison College's Mario.
"Smash was fun to watch this season not only because of having the eventual champion, but because these 4 players were simply fun to be around" Alumbaugh added. "When you have players that enjoy hanging out with one another and are as enthusiastic about the game as they were, you are going to have success. There were 268 players that started the season; and only sixty-four make the playoffs which we had 2 in. And winning it all is truly a humbling thought when you know there are so many that play the title in our league."
The final title of the week featured Thursday night's Call of Duty: Gunfight team. The game's 2v2 format partnered with three top players set up the Reivers to have success. Team included Alexander Cook, Ethan Stewart, and Reece Kelly as the primary players all with slightly different play styles giving unique looks depending on the circumstances. The team finished the regular season unbeaten at 9-0 to earn a spot as the second seed in the playoffs.
"I'm proud of how the Gunfight team came together" Alumbaugh said. "In the preseason, we lost our first scrimmage to a tough team (Dawson CC), and I think that humbled them into focusing on improving as a team rather than individually."
The second seeded team's playoff run would feature a gauntlet of champions. After a first-round forfeit, the Reivers faced last spring's National Champion Herkimer in the second round. In a back-and-forth matchup, Iowa Western won round two 4-1 to advance to the semi-finals. There they faced reigning fall National Champion Navarro College who was also unbeaten. In one of the closest matchups to date, the Reivers took a narrow lead in the seventh round but was quickly slipping away. Until Reece Kelly gets a come-from-behind solo double-kill send the Reivers to the National Championship match facing up against one of the most respected esports teams in the country, Barton. The Reivers put up a good fight, but in the end Iowa Western was outmatched and dropped the championship match 4-0 to the Cougars. Finishing their first season as National runner-up.
"I can't express enough of how proud I was of this team's performance all season and in the playoffs" Alumbaugh said. "This team truly faced an uphill battle throughout playoffs as each round got more difficult. While we have a sour taste in our mouths from how it ended, it cannot be understated how well they performed all year. Barton was the better team that day and earned that championship. We are hopeful to be able to match up against them again down the road."
With the first semester of competition wrapped up, the Reivers look ahead to what is happening this fall. The team is adding Halo: Infinite, Mario Kart, and Overwatch 2 to the competitive roster. The team also plans to field competitive teams in Call of Duty: Vanguard, Rocket League, Smash Ultimate, and Call of Duty: Gunfight.
"The addition of more titles presents more opportunities for students to be able to be part of our program and compete for championships." Alumbaugh said. "We are in the process now of adding more players for this coming term and beyond. I invite anyone that may be interested to contact me through the "Contact a Coach" section on the website or send me an email. It is shaping up to be an exciting fall, and we are ready to continue building our Championship culture."
