CEI Esports competing in collegiate playoffs
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The following is a news release from College of Eastern Idaho.
IDAHO FALLS — College of Eastern Idaho is experiencing success competing in Esports at the collegiate level. This fall semester, CEI had competitive teams finish the regular season atop the standings in their respective divisions. There are seven CEI competitive teams. Four of the teams will be progressing into playoffs, attempting to bring home the first competitive title to the CEI Esports trophy cabinet.
The semi-finals match versus SMU (Southern Methodist University) will be held Monday, Nov. 28, at 6:30 p.m. A watch party will be hosted in the CEI Cafeteria, located in building 3.
CEI Esports officially launched its program March 1, 2021. The growth from that date has increased exponentially. As of Nov. 15, over 2,000 students have visited the CEI Esports lab. These students have either competed for a CEI affiliated esports team or have come to play video games leisurely.
Tucker Cooper, CEI Esports Coordinator, expressed — “I’m proud of the esports program at CEI! I wouldn’t have ever imagined seeing this much growth in such a short amount of time. The fact we’re competing in the playoffs already is something that I am extremely pleased with!”
This growth has been recognized by local schools in the area, both high schools and colleges. As it stands, CEI is one of two schools in Idaho that has a varsity program. The other school being Boise State University, who is nationally recognized for their competitive excellence. CEI Esports competes in the collegiate leagues of NACE (National Association of Collegiate Esports) and NJCAAE (National Junior College Athletic Association Esports).
The beginning of the 2022 fall semester recorded CEI’s best turn out for competitive esport tryouts. Over 100 CEI students attended tryouts. From that turnout, CEI was able to field seven competitive teams, featuring five varsity teams and two junior varsity teams.
Currently, the CEI Falcons field competitive rosters for: Apex Legends, Halo Infinite, League of Legends, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The esports program looks to expand into Overwatch 2 over the winter break. It is anticipated that they will field an additional two teams in Overwatch, a team for varsity and a team for junior varsity.
According to LenovoEDU, esports gaming, like other competitive sports, helps students develop discipline, learn new skills and build engaged communities. Also, esports can foster an inclusive community that is largely independent of physical ability, gender, location and other factors.