Lackawanna College Esports Team Wins Rocket League National Championship
The Lackawanna College Esports team won the Spring 2023 NJCAAE Rocket League Championship, being the institution’s first national championship victory.
This is the second time the Lackawanna College Esports team competed in a NJCAAE National Tournament Championship and the Falcons wouldn’t let the chance of winning the title slip from their talons.
Each team alternated wins in a tight matchup, with games three and four both going into overtimes. The Falcons ultimately pulled away in the fifth and final game, scoring three goals in under a minute, then playing defense for the final 90 seconds to secure the victory. The team won the NJCAAE Grand Finale over Northern Virginia Community College, three to two on Tuesday April 18, 2023.
The Falcons went 6-1 in the regular season in NJCAAE Invitational play, completing an undefeated run through the NJCAAE playoffs, including twice defeating Northern Virginia Community College, once in the upper bracket semi-finals, and again in the tournament championship.
The Falcons Rocket League squad was led by Guadalupe Oca of Eagle Pass, Texas, Matthew Kelly of Jenkintown, PA and Zakeree Chappa of Shepherdsville, Kentucky. Each player contributed goals, saves, and plays; helping the Falcons take the title.
Congratulations to the Lackawanna College Esports Program, headed by Teddy Delaney, the program’s director and director for the People’s Security Bank Theater at Lackawanna College! The Rocket League team is coached by Tristan Correll.