First Esports season ends with glory

Photo provided

The first year of the Mount’s Esports program is in the books, ending on a high note as standout freshman Erik Albanese won the ECC Smash 1v1 Championship at the Conference Finals in the game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. 

The live event took place at Brooklyn-based esports hotspot BrookLAN, where Albanese, the Mount’s Smash captain, took the crown in front of friends, family, teammates, and fellow students across the finals.

The culmination of a semester full of competition started when Albanese won his semi-final match against New York Institute of Technology’s “RareLuke.” Albanese’s finals opponent was Molloy University's “Torna,” whose competitive history with Albanese pre-dates their college careers. Using the character Pac-Man, Albanese quickly took control of the series, winning in under four minutes.

Despite this only being the first year of the Mount’s esports program, Albanese’s performance will be difficult for future players to match. Not only did he go undefeated throughout the regular season and playoffs, but he only dropped a single game across all his matches. 

Albanese defeated opponents from across the ECC, including students at Utica University, St. Thomas Aquinas University, D’Youville University, and beyond.

"Erik's determination is unmatched, and I am so proud of him, and happy that all his hard work paid off with a championship!" said former head coach Brian Venard.

Aside from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Mount’s esports team also plays other popular competitive games like Rocket League and League of Legends.