SUNY Canton eSports Selected to Participate in ECAC Exhibition at 2018 MAAC Fan Fest

Six athletes make travel plans to compete in the college’s first eSports away game.

One of SUNY Canton’s eSports teams will be competing in the inaugural Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) eSports Invitational on Thursday, March 1, at the Albany Capital Center. The event will be held as part of the 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Basketball Championships Fan Fest.

"SUNY Canton is thrilled to be participating in the ECAC's first major eSports event," said SUNY Canton Athletic Director Randy B. Sieminski. "This will be a great experience for our students to be involved in a first-class competition at a phenomenal venue surrounded by the added excitement of the NCAA Division I basketball conference playoffs. We can't wait."

SUNY Canton eSports League of Legends Team - Six students will be representing the SUNY Canton eSports program during an ECAC exhibition match in Albany. Pictured are standing (l to r) Thomas J. Nagle of Rochester, Jaden J. Batista of New York and Juan-Arturo Nunez of Brooklyn. Seated are (l to r) Ryan J. Lee of Cape Charles, Va., Joe M. Canton of the Bronx, Devon D. Balasubramaniam of Goshen.

The exhibition is a day-long event designed to educate college sports and recreation administrators about the rapidly expanding intercollegiate eSports opportunities for their institutions. It will feature a series of panel discussions followed by a four-team eSports tournament on Riot Games' League of Legends featuring ECAC and MAAC member schools.

SUNY Canton’s brand-new eSports program has a six-member League of Legends team, who recently recorded the Kangaroo’s first intercollegiate win in a videogame matchup. The Roos beat the University of Maine Farmington in a one-sided sweep.

“The biggest obstacle our students have overcome is working together as a team,” said SUNY Canton eSports Coach Robert J. Snow. “We have strong players. They’ve worked exceptionally hard on their communications and established a new group dynamic.”

The team has been playing in Riot Games’ University League of Legends competition and has posted two wins and four losses. Thursday’s match will kick off the ECAC season of League of Legends. The final lineup has yet to be determined, but the college may match-up against Canisius College, Siena College, or both.

“This team has really come together in the relatively short time we’ve been playing together, and I am confident we will make a strong showing Thursday,” said Joe M. Canton, the captain of the League of Legends Team who hails from the Bronx. “It’s a very exciting time to be a part of SUNY Canton’s new eSports program.”