Greenwood, S.C. - Lander Esports completed a breakout year in style, notching 7 regular season titles, 8 top-three tournament finishes, and 5 conference championships.
Rivals - The newest title on the block, Rivals came out of the gate with one of the highest win percentages in a year. Despite a rocky Fall in Peach Belt Conference play (3-7, #8 seed), Lander still managed to find their way to the LAN event in Florence, SC to play one of the top teams in the nation, North Georgia. Despite losing in that match, the team took the experience of the loss into NECC play.
Rivals not only won the NECC East Conference in Fall 2025, but they continued the streak into the Spring with an undefeated run through the East. Through Fall and Spring in NECC action, Lander Rivals went a combined 18-1 in regular season matches, and took home both Fall and Spring NECC East Conference Championships.
Rocket League - Lander Rocket League continued their reputation as the most decorated team in program history. Going back to the 2022 season, the Rocket League team is responsible for 9 of the 22 total medals in program history, and contributed to half of the total medals earned this year.
Rocket League flexed their strength in the Fall with a 27-3 record and tearing through conference play with records of 10-0 (Peach Belt), 10-1 (NECC), and 7-2 (Carolina Collegiate Conference). In a seven game thriller, Lander captured their first Peach Belt Esports Conference Championship, as well as earning medals in NECC and C3. The Spring followed suit, with the team dominating C3 and NECC play and finishing with 8-1 and 6-3 records respectively, as well as winning the Carolina Collegiate Conference championship for the first time in program history.
The team went a combined 41-8 over Fall and Spring for an 83% win percentage, and 5 medals. Over the course of the year, the Rocket League team did not compete in a conference that they did not medal in, and reaffirmed the standards of consistency and dominance.
Valorant - After reloading the roster from the Fall's 3rd place Southeastern League finish, Valorant put together one of the most storied runs in program history, finishing 3rd at NECC Nationals behind a 12-1 record and winning the NECC South Conference Championship over North Alabama, 3-0.
The #4 seeded Bearcats put together a Nationals run with victories over #13 New Mexico State and #5 Carthage College before falling to 9th seed Minot State in the National Semifinals. A third place match between Lander and #3 John Brown University saw the Bearcats reverse-sweep the series after dropping Map 1 on Fracture with 13-7 wins on Haven and Bind.
With the win, Head Coach Billy Howard earned his 700th collegiate victory in just 1137 matches. During his 12-year career, Howard has built an outstanding resume:
During the year, Lander faced a slew of NCAA Division 1 schools, finishing with a 55-14 record against all NCAA D1 opponents, and going 20-6 against the SEC and an undefeated 11-0 against the ACC.
Lander Esports 2025-26 Team Accolades
Regular Season Champions
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Fall 2025 - Rocket League - PBC Champions Division
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Fall 2025 - Rocket League - NECC Mideast Conference
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Spring 2026 - Valorant - NECC South Conference
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Spring 2026 - Rivals - NECC East Conference
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Spring 2026 - Rocket League - NECC East Conference
Regular Season Co-Champions
Conference Tournament Champions
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Fall 2025 - Rocket League - PBC Champions Division
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Fall 2025 - Rivals - NECC East Conference
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Spring 2026 - Rocket League - Carolina Collegiate Conference Open Division
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Spring 2026 - Valorant - NECC South Conference
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Spring 2026 - Rivals - NECC East Conference
Nationals Berths
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Valorant - NECC South Conference
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Rivals - NECC East Conference
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Rocket League - NECC East Conference
End of Season Awards
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Esports Leadership Award
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Esports Individual Performance of the Year
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Esports Selfless Athlete Award
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Esports Scholar-Athlete of the Year
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Esports Ambassador Award
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Esports Athlete of the Year
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Esports Team of the Year
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Best Play of the Year
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Best Comms
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Most Improved
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Funniest Play of the Year
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Quote of the year
