EUGENE, Ore. – The Northwest Christian University Esports team looks to repeat success in year two as they begin competition this weekend. 

In 2018, NCU became pioneers in the state of Oregon when it announced the state's first varsity esports team. The inaugural Overwatch season blew all expectations out of the water as the Beacons amassed a 19-6 record and held the highest winning percentage (.760) of any NCU team in 2018-2019. 

This fall, NCU hopes to continue to build on last year's success as they compete in the all-new TESPA Varsity Series, a new format designed specifically for varsity esports programs. Teams had to apply and be accepted into the league. NCU will compete in two single-elimination qualifier brackets. The top two teams in each Qualifier bracket will qualify to compete in the Varsity Invitational. A Second-Chance bracket will be open to all teams that did not qualify for the Varsity Invitational. 

Overwatch is a team-based multiplayer first-person shooter video game with the goal of capturing and holding points or moving a payload from point A to point B. Each team has six players consisting of two supports, two tanks and two DPS (damage per second) heroes.  

[Overwatch Cheat Sheet] 

The ten-member roster includes five returners and five newcomers as the team said goodbye to three competitors from last season. "We have added a lot of great pieces to go along with an excellent returning core," said head coach Miles Adkisson. "We set out to find great young men and women of integrity, work ethic, and ability to fit in with the culture we are trying to develop. Sky's the limit with this team." 

Leading the pack will be senior Alex Daraban (Alexio) along with sophomore Tyler Chase (ShockMaster). Adkisson said, "Both Alex and Tyler bring a lot of experience to our team and play at a very high level, top-ranked in their respective positions. Their leadership will be crucial to our success." 

The other returners, who are also expected to have starting roles, are sophomores Daniel Gerlach (Leinad) and Akito Ryuzaki (Mist) along with junior Jesse Gerlach (HokaHey).  

Joining the team this season will be four freshmen, Chase Dean (Pt Loser), Cameron Shults (CHILi), Kenyon Webster-Lorentzen (Keny116), and Ian Woodcock (Finami). Brosnan Johnson (NANSORB007), a sophomore, will be walking on for the Beacons. All five players are expected to have an immediate impact on the team.   

"This is a young squad and it will definitely be a challenge as we try to mold together as a team," said Adkisson. "We will have to work hard and fast as we jump right into collegiate competition. Our returners have all shown significant improvement and they are great teachers and leaders of the game."   

The Beacons will kick off their Overwatch Varsity season this Saturday, September 21 at 12:00 PM PST against Park University in Qualifier 1. Map 1 will be played on Busan with Map 2 (hybrid) and Map 3 (escort) being chosen by the losing team. All matches will be streamed live in the Beacons Esports Theater on the NCU campus and on Twitch.TV. 

[TESPA Varsity Series Bracket]