Raiders Run Lower Bracket to Claim Heartland Showdown Tournament

Overwatch defeats Kansas State and Kansas on way to title

MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Red Raider Overwatch team claimed its first-ever tournament title at the 7^th Annual Heartland Showdown, hosted by Kansas State University, last weekend.

"I am incredibly proud of our team," Director of Esports Cole Prescott said. "They showed immense grit today. Our guys adapted in the face of adversity after that opening loss, and despite that tough beginning they remained united throughout the long day. I was surprised by their stamina as well."

Despite an opening round loss, the Raiders won eight matches in a row to capture first place. Northwestern suffered a 3-1 defeat to Independence Community College (Kan.), while winning their first losers' bracket game 2-0 in a dominant showing over Missouri-Kansas City.

Another 2-0 win set up a rematch against Independence, as the Raiders made key adjustments to pick up a 3-0 win. Continuing to battle through the bracket, Northwestern swept Emporia State, setting up a tight match against the host Kansas State Wildcats. After losing the first map, Northwestern won the next three maps behind a standout performance from Xander "Ronin" Ingallinera.

With a Grand Finals berth on the line, Northwestern met the Jayhawks of Kansas University in another close contest. It was a 3-1 victory for Northwestern, who again won the final three maps to advance.

The Grand Finals were on deck, with Northwestern facing Missouri Science & Technology. Although Missouri S&T swept every opponent on the day, Northwestern took the first map of the match to go ahead 1-0. Missouri S&T then took the next two points, setting up a must-win for Northwestern. The Raiders did take the win with a strong map to force a winner-take-all in five.

Map five was a competitive battle, where Northwestern received clutch performances from Zach "Qwerty" Dunn and Ryan "Ameno" Glowinski in the first half. The Raider defense was set to task in the second half, as strong communication and decisive team play allowed Northwestern to shut the door on their opponents' attack and win the tournament championship 3-2.

"We played 8 matches in a row for nine and a half hours straight once the lower bracket started, but the team remained focused and energized throughout that entire run," Prescott noted. "It was only in the last two matches that I saw cracks from fatigue start to appear, but they held it together and got the job done."

The Heartland Showdown marked the program's first LAN tournament title for a Northwestern esports team and third top-two finish this year as Rocket League took two second-place finishes last fall.

Up Next: Overwatch will play in their NECC conference semifinals tomorrow against Waldorf at 8:00 p.m.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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