Conestoga news

January 3, 2025 1:33 PM

Condors Esports win top prizes in Canadian Esports Nationals

Condors Esports varsity esports teams competed in the annual Canadian Esports Nationals hosted by Esport Canada, claiming top prizes in the online tournament for a big boost heading into 2025 competitions.

Condors Esports
Condors Esports varsity esports teams won top prizes in the annual Canadian Esports Nationals.

More than 100 Canadian collegiate esports teams competed for national rankings in the event held the week of November 25 by the Canadian esports organization.

Condors Esports had a historical run, claiming second place in Rocket League, Call of Duty and Valorant Game Changers (women’s), and also placing Top 4 in Valorant (men’s).

The stellar performance of Conestoga’s esports athletes on the national stage continues to impress Zack Dodge, supervisor of Esports Operations.

“Watching Condors Esports rise as a national competitive leader in the Canadian esports scene is an incredible milestone. Our student-athletes dedicate immense time, passion and commitment, and it’s gratifying to see our teams perform at such a high level and celebrate their hard work,” Dodge said. “Conestoga has developed a best-in-class esports ecosystem. Highlighting our state-of-the-art facilities and outstanding academic programs alongside some of the nation’s best esports teams is something the Conestoga community can take pride in.”

Jhamar O'Brian, captain of the varsity Call of Duty team, said the team takes Canadian nationals very seriously. Being a Top 2 collegiate Call of Duty program in Canada proves they can compete among the country’s best, and they’re determined to do their best to reach the top spot.

The competitions are also about having fun with a little good-hearted competitive boasting.

“Canadian nationals to me is one of my favourite things to play in terms of collegiate. Getting to compete against comrades from across Canada once a year is a lot of fun,” O’Brian said.

Esports at Conestoga was an unexpected new passion for O’Brian, who had played on a collegiate basketball team until suffering injuries. He was already playing Call of Duty when he saw a social media post about Conestoga starting a Call of Duty roster - prompting O’Brian to quit the basketball team and change schools.

“It’s been nothing but great times so far and hopefully were able to go higher and eventually bring one of these championships back to Conestoga.”

Owen Covach, captain of the varsity Rocket league team, also loves competing against other colleges and universities across Canada to secure a top spot for the Condors.

“Our mindset going into this competition was to try our best and give the best results to show that we are a team to look out for, and we showed that making it all the way to the finals and putting up a good fight,” Covach said. “Having the Esports hub at Conestoga was a great addition to all of this because it helped us come together more as a team and helped build the team chemistry which is huge for us going into competitions. I look forward to the growth of Condors Esports in the coming years, and also the growth of Esports in Canada.”

The Condors will kick off their Winter 2025 competitive term later in January in a variety of North American collegiate esports leagues with live streams hosted each week on Twitch.TV and YouTube.

To learn more about Conestoga’s competitive esports program, visit Condors Esports.