Raider esports starts a new season this spring with the reemergence of “Overwatch.” The main goal for the team is to make the top two in conference, or to take championships.
A schedule for the Overwatch team’s matches will be on nwcraiders.com soon.
Teams are also starting to get recruits for their rosters in the 2024-2025.
Overwatch has three recruits who are Bradley Anderson, Sam Green and Shaun Carver, who is also recruited for Smash Brothers Ultimate along with Ezekiel Pruitt. Rocket League has one recruit who is Logan Schumann.
Anderson is a season MVP at Centennial High School as well as being a member of the undefeated Kern High Grand championship team. He plans to study civil engineering while at NW.
Carver has been a part of two seasons of Overwatch, in which one has placed fourth at the state level, as well as a season of Smash Brothers while he attended Ames High School. He intends to study sport management while attending NW.
Green has been a part of an Overwatch team at Gretna High School that has won several championships at the state level as well as tournaments in just two years. The major that he hopes to obtain is computer science.
Schumann has been on the esports team as well as on the football and soccer teams at North Polk High School where he was also a member of the gold honor roll. He is deciding between majoring in business or Spanish while at NW.
Pruitt chose NW for the faith-based community to help strengthen his own faith and because he saw the family environment in the current esports team. He intends to study engineering while at NW.
When asked about why they chose NW, they commented about pursuing a higher education while surrounded by a Christ-centered community while competing in their respective esports teams at the colligate level.
The combination of the recruits and the current team rosters is sure to make the next few seasons ones to watch, especially with how the past several seasons have gone.
Last season, Overwatch finished 8-3 overall, Rocket League finished second at the Rockstar Energy Colligate Esports Invitational and finished their past season (fall 2023) 16-5 overall.
