Esports 11/3/2026 11:42:00 AM

Blinn esports battles nationally ranked Winthrop, falls to Chippewa Valley Tech

Both teams resume their seasons Wednesday

Esports 11/3/2026 11:42:00 AM

Blinn esports battles nationally ranked Winthrop, falls to Chippewa Valley Tech

Both teams resume their seasons Wednesday

The Blinn College esports program faced a pair of challenging matchups Monday, Nov. 2, with its Overwatch team taking on the nation's No. 2-ranked program and its League of Legends team competing in NJCAA Esports play.

OVERWATCH
Blinn's Overwatch team, ranked No. 11 nationally by the Overwatch Collegiate Rating Agency (OWCRA), went toe-to-toe with No. 2 Winthrop University in a National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Super Conference matchup before falling 3-1.

The Buccaneers are now 2-2 in NACE play and 0-2 in Super Conference competition.

Overwatch is a team-based, first-person shooter in which players select heroes with unique abilities and work together to complete objectives across multiple map modes.

The Buccaneers came out firing on Busan (Control), delivering one of their best performances of the season with a convincing 2-0 victory to take an early series lead against a Winthrop roster comprised entirely of professional players.

Winthrop responded on Suravasa (Flashpoint), using a dive composition to earn a 3-0 victory and even the series. On Paraíso (Hybrid), Blinn put together a strong defensive effort but allowed Winthrop to complete the map in overtime. The Buccaneers nearly mounted a comeback on offense, capturing the first objective in the closing seconds before falling short of completing the second.

With the match on the line, Blinn headed to Esperança (Push) and built an early advantage by winning four consecutive team fights. Winthrop gradually erased the deficit, however, and escaped with a 2-1 victory to secure the 3-1 series win.

Despite the loss, Blinn head coach Kyle Murto's team showed it could compete with one of the nation's premier programs. The performance provided encouragement following an upset loss to California State University, Long Beach, the previous week.

Donnivan Straight, Jose Soliz, Antony Luna, Dylan Wiley, and Salvador Castaneda competed for Blinn.

Blinn returns to action at 6 p.m. Wednesday against Trinity Valley Community College in an NJCAA Esports matchup.

LEAGUE OF LEGENDS
Blinn's League of Legends team dropped a 2-0 decision to Chippewa Valley Technical College in a week five NJCAA Esports matchup.

The loss drops Blinn to 2-3 in NJCAA Esports competition.

League of Legends is a five-versus-five multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) in which teams select champions with unique abilities and work together to destroy the opposing team's Nexus. Teams battle for control of the map, take down turrets and inhibitors, and contest neutral objectives such as Dragons and Baron Nashor to gain strategic advantages.

The Buccaneers entered the matchup confident after holding an advantage over Chippewa Valley in the standings and anticipating favorable lane matchups.

Chippewa Valley jumped out to a 7-1 lead in kills in the opening game before Blinn settled in and began chipping away at the deficit. Andrew Vo provided significant damage output, while Long Nguyen anchored the team's frontline. Chippewa Valley ultimately secured the Mountain Dragon Soul, allowing the opponent to gain a significant advantage and eventually take the opening game.

Blinn made lineup and positional adjustments in the second game, bringing Benjamin Bryant into the lineup for Johnson Le. However, an early attempt to make a play in the bottom lane backfired, allowing Chippewa Valley to build momentum. The Buccaneers also struggled against an opposing composition featuring multiple healing champions and couldn't overcome the deficit despite a strong performance from Nguyen in the top lane.

Nguyen, Vo, Le, Carlos Dickens, Jose Rios, and Bryant participated for the Buccaneers. Assistant coach Ryan Lucich manages Blinn's League of Legends team.

Blinn returns to action at 7 p.m. Wednesday against Collin College in an NJCAA Esports matchup.

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Players Mentioned

Jose Rios: Sophomore; Overwatch

Carlos Dickens: Sophomore; League of Legends

Benjamin Bryant: Sophomore; League of Legends

Long Nguyen: Freshman; League of Legends

Johnson Le: Freshman; League of Legends

Andrew Vo: Sophomore; League of Legends

Dylan Wiley: Freshman; Overwatch

Donnivan Straight: Sophomore; Overwatch

Jose Soliz: Freshman; Overwatch

Salvador Castaneda: Freshman; Overwatch

Players Mentioned

Jose Rios
: Sophomore; Overwatch

Carlos Dickens
: Sophomore; League of Legends

Benjamin Bryant
: Sophomore; League of Legends

Long Nguyen
: Freshman; League of Legends

Johnson Le
: Freshman; League of Legends

Andrew Vo
: Sophomore; League of Legends

Dylan Wiley
: Freshman; Overwatch

Donnivan Straight
: Sophomore; Overwatch

Jose Soliz
: Freshman; Overwatch

Salvador Castaneda
: Freshman; Overwatch