Rock Hill, S.C. – When Winthrop announced they were launching an Esports program in the spring of 2019, it would have been tough for many to believe that within a year they would become one of the top-ranked programs in the nation. Coach Josh Sides' program was just that in under twelve months and have already made their mark on the collegiate Esports scene.
 
The first step in building a program like in all sports was finding the players.  Sides began reaching out to players immediately upon his arrival in a search the spanned the entire world.  Winthrop's inaugural roster was comprised of players from all across the United States along with Tony "Saskio" Chau, a Vancouver native and former national champion at Maryville University. 
 
Chau's arrival was a major moment for the program that showed the Esports world that the Eagles were going to be contenders in their inaugural campaign.  While Chau's notoriety brought instant attention to Winthrop's League of Legends team, Sides was also assembling a strong Overwatch squad featuring Benjamin "Del" Grieser, who would go on to be named a NAECAD (National Association of Esports Coaches and Directors) All-American. 
 
Winthrop's fall season got off to a quick start with both teams competing against some of the best in the country at the 2019 HUE Invitational in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  While both teams took some lumps in that tournament, it was clear there was plenty of potential for great things to happen in the future. 
 
The action continued throughout the fall in various tournaments for both teams, but Winthrop Overwatch began to take center stage, wrapping up the semester with stellar play in the group stage of the Tespa Varsity Invitational. An eventual break in the schedule for winter break led to a period of inactivity for the Eagles Overwatch team, but League of Legends was ready for their moment in the spotlight.
 
January marked the beginning of ASU GSV 2020, one of the most prestigious collegiate League of Legends tournaments in the United States.  The Eagles opened the competition with four consecutive wins which catapulted them into ESPN's College League of Legends Coaches Poll.  The team initially earned a sixth-place ranking and went on to move up to fourth a few weeks later. 
 
Unfortunately like all sports across the world, the Esports season was put on hold in mid-March due to the Coronavirus.  After a few weeks of inactivity, the Eagles returned to action from home winning PantherLAN on March 29 before returning to ASU GSV action.  After a big win against powerhouse Maryville in the semifinals, the squad fell to Harrisburg in the grand finals.
 
While that marked the end of the League of Legends season, Overwatch still had Tespa matches to be played including the championships.  Winthrop entered the Overwatch Collegiate Championships as a two-seed, and squared off with Washington in the first round.  The Huskies went on to defeat the Eagles, ending Winthrop's season. 
 
Neither team's season ended how they wanted it to, but the Eagles clearly established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in their first season. Coach Sides was more than impressed with the progress the team made over the course of the year.

"Although we fell short of bringing home hardware in our first year, I think we laid a strong foundation to start building on for years to come," Sides said. "We are building the right culture within our program and I think we surprised a lot of people with what we were able to accomplish in our first year."

The future is bright for the young program. With the entire Winthrop community behind them, things are only looking up for Winthrop Esports.