Winning Since Inception
As the Esports program enters its third year, the AMCATs are proud to say they have fought through their respective conferences and qualified for playoffs in Super Smash Bros, Apex Legends Varsity and JV, Rocket League, Overwatch, and Call of Duty. They seek to add to the program’s growing list of accomplishments.
Since its inception, Anna Maria Esports has won 6 Conference Championships as well as a National Championship in Rainbow Six Siege in the program’s debut season.
So… What is Esports?
Esports are widely regarded as one of the fastest-growing sports and industries in the world. The premise is simply certain video games that are made with the intention of being played competitively in front of thousands of people and even more thousands of dollars at stake. Collegiate esports have subsequently grown as well, bridging the gap between high school graduates and professional top-level players. Popular genres of esports include shooter games, like Call of Duty and Overwatch, fighting games, like Street Fighter or Super Smash Bros, and sport games, such as Rocket League or Madden.
In the world of collegiate esports, schools join different conferences according to games in which they compete. For example, Anna Maria College Esports currently competes in the Eastern College Athletic Conference, or the ECAC, and the East Coast Conference, or ECC. Each conference has its own methodology when it comes to splitting the teams into divisions. For example, ECAC has Titan Division (think NCAA Division 1) and then Divisions A-F, with the later letters being the lower skilled divisions.
Current Look at Anna Maria Esports
But how did we get here? Let’s take a look at the journey the Anna Maria Esports program went through this last season, leading up to the SNHU Invitational. The AMCATs fielded 6 different esports teams this season, including two Apex Legends teams, our invitational-qualifying Overwatch team, a Call of Duty team, a Rocket League team, and a player in Super Smash Bros. Every single one of these teams or players qualified for the post season.
Overwatch – Anna Maria Esport’s Overwatch roster qualified for their playoff brackets in two different conferences, including the Eastern College Athletic Conference and the East Coast Conference, with 6-1 records in both conferences. The future of the Overwatch team is filled with competition, as they look to win back-to-back East Coast Conference titles, as well as taking home the SNHU Invitational and an Eastern College Athletic Conference title. Roster: Dylan McLaughlin ‘26, Alfredo Rodriguez ‘26, Rallston Hunter ‘28, Dominic Lynch ‘28, Bobby Boryca IV ‘28
Apex Legends – Both Apex Legends teams qualified for the post season at the Eastern College Athletic Conference. In a tough division, both teams have their eyes set on qualifying for the finals and taking home a respectable finish. Apex Legends JV Roster: Michael Verran ‘26, Dylan McLaughlin ‘26, Hunter Pappas ‘26. Apex Legends Varsity Roster: Jahmir Hamlin ‘27, Alfredo Rodriguez ‘26, Oliver Majesky ‘30
Call of Duty – Our Call of Duty team won all but one match in their ECAC division, ending with a 6-1 record. The roster is a blend of AMC Hockey players, all led under a veteran of the esports program, Michael Verran. Roster: Michael Verran ‘26, Christian Shields ‘28, Cole Johnston ‘26, Hunter Pappas ‘26
Rocket League – Last but not least of our teams is our Rocket League roster. Led by Brock Hill, they finished in the ECAC division with a nearly undefeated record of 6-1. They, just like every AMC Esports team, are looking forward to trying to take 1st place in the ECAC. Roster: Michael Verran ‘26, Brock Hill ‘27, Kane Celata ‘26
Super Smash Bros – AMC Esports also has a Super Smash Bros player in the ECC. A freshman at Anna Maria College, Benjamin Milgate ‘30 qualified for the ECC playoffs, making it his second and back-to-back playoff appearance in the ECC.
Follow Esports and Watch Them Compete
Don’t miss the next opportunity to cheer on your AMCATs. Their next competition will be this Saturday, March 28th, when they will be participating in an in-person tournament hosted by Southern New Hampshire University. You can watch our Overwatch team play this weekend at twitch.tv/snhuesports.
You can also keep tabs on our AMCATS through Twitch – https://www.twitch.tv/annamariaesports.
Looking to Join an Esports Roster?
Anna Maria Esports is constantly looking for more players. Whether you are new to Esports, or a long-time veteran of a game, the program is always open to having a chat about you competing alongside our players. If you are interested, contact members of the team.
- Andrew Ghataora, Director of Esports – AGhataora@annamaria.edu
- Vincent Brown, Graduate Assistant – VBrown@annamaria.edu
