HICKORY, N.C. — The Catawba Valley Community College Esports program held a success Campus Series LAN tournament this past weekend, welcoming more than 100 competitors from 10 states for the inaugural event.
The Red Hawks partnered with Stay Plugged In to host the first-of-its-kind event in which competitors in three video game titles — VALORANT, Rocket League and Super Smash Bros Ultimate — competed for the right to win $2,500 in prizing.
"We are so pleased with the success of our inaugural LAN Esports event," said Red Hawk Esports head coach Cody Dalton. "To be the first junior college to host a live LAN Esports tournament is special, and we hope to build on this for many years to come and continue the growth of Esports in our region."
Catawba Valley Community College Esports students were not only able to compete in the event and receive a unique in-person competitive experience, but also take part in other aspects of the tournament, including casting matches to the team's Twitch channel — twitch.tv/cvccredhawks.
Smile Factory — a team consisting of students from Chowan University and free agent high school students — won the VALORANT tournament, defeating Billy's Bangers in the Best-of-3 finals.
The Franklin Storm — a team from Tennessee consisting of eighth and ninth grade students — won the Rocket League tournament, defeating Johnston Community College in the final.
In the Super Smash Bros championship, Mauricio Juarez from Winston-Salem defeated Gabriel Lawrence from Georgia.
"The best part of the Catawba Valley Campus Series LAN Event was just how much all the players enjoyed the event," said Kyle Taylor, director of Player Develop for Stay Plugged In. "For most of them it was their first LAN event, and they all left wanting to play in the next LAN event we have at Stay Plugged In."
Recruiters from college and universities from across multiple states were also in attendance, including William Peace (N.C.), Lees-McRae (N.C.), University of North America (Va.), Converse College (S.C.) and Newberry College (S.C.).
"As a recruiting event, seeing the college coaches watching all the players and holding recruiting driven conversations is always what we want to see," Taylor said. "I am sure several players out of this event will receive offers those colleges present."
The Red Hawks are planning with Stay Plugged In to make this LAN tournament an annual spring event and continue to grow the Esports ecosystem in the region and beyond.
For more information on Stay Plugged In, please visit espin.gg.
To learn more about the Esports program at Catawba Valley Community College, contact head coach Cody Dalton at cdalton880@cvcc.edu or fill out a recruit survey at https://bit.ly/3jxmk32.