Story By: James Stafford
FLORENCE, S.C. – On Nov. 8, Montevallo esports brought their Marvel Rivals and Overwatch teams to Florence, South Carolina, for the Peach Belt Conference playoffs.
The playoffs took place during the Florence Esports Festival, a two-day LAN event taking place at the Florence Center. A LAN is an in-person event in which the computers are connected via LAN, or local area network to reduce latency within the game.
UM’s Marvel Rivals team placed second, falling to the No. 1-seeded University of North Georgia in the finals. Captain Connor Forstman says he couldn’t be prouder of how well his team has come together throughout the season. “We started at a very low competitive rank. By the end of our season, we are highly above average, with many players reaching peak ranks I could only dream of until now,” Forstman said. “My team’s dedication to improving and getting better as a team has made me one of the luckiest team captains out there.”
Marvel Rivals is a new title coming into the Peach Belt lineup, with this being the game’s inaugural season. Forstman says the quick adaptation of his team’s players came from their experience in other titles, as their in-game ranks didn’t tell the full story of their true skill. “The fact that we were looking like an easy team to beat on paper had no match to how we performed in game as a team. We listen well, learn well, and talk to each other,” Forstman said. “We are a team in game, and out of it.”
“My team’s dedication to improving and getting better as a team has made me one of the luckiest team captains out there.”
Connor Forstman
UM’s Overwatch team placed eighth in the playoffs after being seeded against the No. 1 — and eventual winners of the tournament — Converse University. Overwatch captain Em Rivas looks at the tournament as a learning experience. “My team did well on stage. We played the No. 1 team in our division and kept our heads up,” Rivas said. “Some behavior could be helped, though. We also need to apply the skills we saw at LAN and put it into our own Overwatch team to become better.”
Head coach Aryn Mosley is proud of how the team played during the event. “The way our players talked to each other, adjusted mid-fight and worked together was amazing to watch,” he said. “We had some huge plays – clutch ultimates thrown perfectly into the fog, massive healing moments when the team was on the brink of defeat — and the team handled those high-pressure moments with confidence.”
Looking forward, Mosley hopes to continue the team’s positive energy into future events. “For the players, the only thing I want them to focus on is the future. They did amazing, and I want them to carry that confidence forward. I’m incredibly proud of them, and so is everyone else at the university.”
Montevallo esports will return to the Peach Belt Conference next semester with their League of Legends and Valorant rosters. To follow their journey, follow UM esports on Twitch, Instagram and Facebook.
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