Team earns SUNY Poly’s first Esports title

UTICA, NY – An Esports title, the first in school history, has been added to the list of accolades achieved by SUNY Polytechnic Institute students. Paul “Trey” Yarwood, Andrew Miroulis and George Reagan, who make up the three-person Wildcat Esports Rocket League team, recently defeated the University of Buffalo in a best-of-seven series at the SUNY Esports Championships in Brooklyn.

About 20 SUNY schools have a Rocket League team, with SUNY Poly and UBuffalo ending up as the last two standing in this competition. It took a full seven games to determine a winner, but the Wildcats captured the title after an exhilarating championship match.

“It was definitely one of the most fun events I’ve ever participated in,” said Yarwood, who serves as the captain of Wildcat Esports’ Rocket League team. “It was an honor representing SUNY Poly and to bring home a championship.”

The SUNY Poly Wildcat Esports organization competes competitively as part of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC), SUNY Esports League, and the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Star League. Wildcat Esports currently participates in Overwatch, Rocket League, League of Legends, Hearthstone, Super Smash Bros, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, and Valorant. Rocket League, specifically, can be described as “car soccer.”

Wildcat Esports boasts about seven teams and 20-30 players that competed this spring. Overall, they have approximately 250 students in their community, with about 30-50 attending in-person events.

Associate Professor and Coordinator of Interactive Media and Game Design (IMGD), Dr. Ibrahim Yucel, and Director of Community Standards & the Center for Student Involvement, Megan Wyett, serve as Wildcat Esports’ co-advisors.

"I am proud and impressed with the team’s performance, as Rocket League is a very demanding and high-skill level Esport,” said Dr. Yucel. “With both this team, the Overwatch team, and the Smash Brothers teams competing at tournaments, we hope this is the first of many wins for the Wildcats."

To learn more about Wildcat Esports, click here.