COLUMBIA, S.C. - CIU esports' Overwatch team began their inaugural season with a bang over the weekend as the Rams took part in the Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup (CECC) South Region Qualifiers. The event, which hosted some of the top collegiate Overwatch teams in the country, is the qualifier for the national Overwatch Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup, which will take place in Atlanta in 2023. The CECC is put on by Collegiate Sports Management Group (CSMG) and their collegiate gaming affiliate EsportsU and is the largest live collegiate esports event in the country. 

The Rams began the qualifiers on Friday (Oct. 8) with wins over both the University of Florida (3-0) and Clemson (S.C.) (3-0). This would seed the Rams at No. 4 overall going into the playoff portion of the tournment, where CIU would get to the semifinals with wins over West Georgia (3-0) and Central Florida (3-1). The Rams' run would finally come to a halt one match before the region finals, falling to the University of Texas-Dallas, 3-1. The Comets of UTD were a formidable opponent finishing fifth in the NACE Starleague last spring, solidifying themselves as one of the top five Overwatch programs in the country. 

However, CIU's fledgling program held thier own throughout the match and, despite the loss, still finished third after defeating Kennesaw State (Ga.) by a score of 3-1 in the third-place match. 

The Rams Overwatch squad for the weekend was made up by Harry Potter as a Tank, Raymond Williamson and Aiden Wiggins were DPS characters, and Austin Goff and Xavier Mitchell served in Support roles. 

Head esports coach Scotty Grigsby spoke on his team's body of work at the event, relaying, " Very pleased with this result. The Overwatch staff and team have worked very hard all summer and fall, and it shows. This team has a very high ceiling, so we need to make sure we stay focused on getting better every week."