Stockton Esports kicks off new season with ECAC

By JOHN O’CONNOR

Galloway, NJ – The Stockton University Esports team kicked off a brand-new season of
gaming a couple of weeks ago and the team is geared up for yet another strong season competing
against other colleges in the ECAC.
ECAC, short for Eastern College Athletic Conference, is an organization that’s been
around for nearly eight decades. The group features over 200 schools across all three of the
NCAA’s divisions and its goal is to enhance the experience of students that play sports.
In 2018, the group decided to branch into esports and through a partnership with
LeagueSpot, over 100 teams across 23 schools and featured six different game titles. Since that
first season, ECAC has grown and now schools from across the country and Canada participate
in their events. Nearly 150 schools field 400 teams across 14 different games and the bulk of
competition is done online but some events in the fall and spring take place in person.
Stockton’s team currently participates in competitions centered around FIFA, Fortnite,
Halo Infinite, Hearthstone, League of Legends, Madden, NBA 2k, Rocket League, and Valorant.
They are currently in the top ten in ECAC rankings in four of the games according to the
ECAC’s LeagueSpot website. The Madden 1v1 team made up by Dylan Dada currently has a 3-0
record which is the best out of all of Stockton’s teams.
Each team plays every one to two weeks against schools from across the country. Pat
Verrecchia is the general manager for two of the teams and play’s an important role in who they
play against.
“I am the general manager for Fortnite, and 2k,” Verrecchia said. “As GM, I set up games
and manage rosters.”
Stockton’s esports program is open to all students who have an interest in gaming. If you
want to participate in the ECAC league, Verrecchia said it’s pretty simple to get involved.
“Fill out the interest form in OspreyHub and join the discord for updates,” Verrecchia
finalized.
More information about ECAC can be found at http://www.ecacesports.com/. You can
find additional information about Stockton esports at
https://sites.google.com/stockton.edu/stockton-esports/home