On September 20-22, the Averett esports team competed in Overwatch, Hearthstone, and League of Legends at the Harrisburg esports tournament. The Harrisburg Esports Festival is one of the biggest collegiate esports tournaments in the country. Many of the top collegiate teams were there, and over 60 universities competed.

The Hearthstone team made it to top 8, but was knocked out of the tournament on Saturday. It is a good achievement for the team, especially because the Harrisburg Esports Festival is so high profile.

“I’m ecstatic to have gotten the team’s name out like that,” Trysten Wiggins-Fralin, a senior majoring in history and captain of Averett’s Hearthstone team, said. “The Hearthstone team is fortunate to have three exceptionally talented players and we’ve got our eyes set on even bigger goals!”

Head coach Oscar Manzano was proud of the Hearthstone team’s performance too.

“We are really happy that our Hearthstone team found success at Harrisburg,” Manzano said. “The team had put in a lot of time preparing in anticipation for the tournament. With the Hearthstone season starting, the experience in Harrisburg has helped them become more confident in their abilities.”

The Overwatch and League of Legends teams did not do as well, but there is a lot to be learned competing at such a big event with so many high level teams.

“While some teams had success other teams discovered areas of improvements. Our Overwatch team and League of Legends team still were not able to secure a win this past weekend,” Manzano said. “Thanks to the event we were able to see how strong the level of talent and competition is in other universities. The goal now is to be able to practice harder and smarter to raise our level and perform better in the upcoming season.”

The Harrisburg Esports Festival was a good experience for the Averett Esports team and it can help guide them for more competitions in the future.