The Binghamton University Video Game Association’s (VGA) Overwatch 2 Esports team was recently crowned champion at the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Spring Showdown.
The event, which took place April 4-6 at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, featured three titles: Valorant, Rocket League and Overwatch 2. The Overwatch 2 winners received $2,500 and free Chipotle.
Binghamton’s fully student-run squad took on 10 other nationwide collegiate esports teams in the Overwatch 2 tournament, crushing the competition with an unexpected victory for the eight-student team.
“Most of the teams that we played against in that tournament had some sort of backing from an athletics department or a managerial position from the school themselves. And a lot of the players were on scholarship. It’s kind of an underdog story of a ragtag team,” said Shawn Khillan, the team captain and a junior majoring in mechanical engineering.
In addition to this triumph, Binghamton senior Luka Ero earned the title of Overwatch 2 MVP. The honor came with a plaque and $500 prize.
“This was like a senior sendoff, and a great way to end on a high,” Khillan said, adding that Ero and two other seniors have been on the team since they were first-year students.
VGA was founded in 2011. A Student Association organization, the group came together with the aim to forge bonds between students over their common interest in video games. The club boasts 940 members active on their Discord server, which is its main communication channel.
“It’s a great way to meet friends and be involved in something. It’s just a great time. You get to compete in something you love and make great friends,” said first-year student Evan Kurlander, the team’s coach.
Binghamton VGA is an umbrella organization, overseeing five distinct sub-groups with their own rosters: the Game Development Group, Smash and Fighting Games Club, Pokémon GO Club, GeoGuessr Club and Binghamton Esports.
Binghamton Esports organizes and facilitates esports teams to compete against other colleges and universities, such as the Overwatch 2 Team.
“One of the first things I did when I came to Binghamton was join the Overwatch team. I went to UFest and I sought out the VGA table. That’s how I ended up where I am today. It was definitely the best thing I did in college,” said Ryan Calhoun, VGA president and a senior majoring in mechanical engineering.
Students looking to get involved with the Video Game Association, and their various club subgroups, can join the VGA Discord Server.
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Binghamton Video Game Association triumphs at nationwide tournament
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