GREENWOOD, S.C. -  As renovations are being finalized in the Bearcade, Lander Esports cleared their first two weeks of competition across multiple different leagues with a 34-7 record to date. Freshman Richard Nguyen told journalists about how their Premier Valorant team has been practicing for weeks before their first match against Clemson. "I'm excited—I think this team has a lot of potential." Not only did Nguyen and his teammates unleash an absolute drubbing against Clemson, the entire program picked up major wins over the following D1 opponents:

• Premier Valorant vs. Clemson (W 2-0)
• Premier Valorant vs. Alabama (W 1-0)
• Premier Valorant vs. North Carolina (W 2-0)
• Varsity Rocket League vs. Clemson (W 4-0)
• Varsity Rocket League vs. Georgia (W 3-0)
• Academy Valorant vs. Clemson (W 2-1)
• Varsity Rivals vs. Michigan (W 2-0)

Senior Aiden McClain, a player on the Varsity Marvel Rivals team, states the most difficult part about competing is "Just really figuring out how the enemy team is going to play into us and how we can counter what they do." Over the first 41 matches of the season, Lander has found a way to do just that, outpacing opponents in individual games by a final score of 85-25.

SEASON STANDINGS AS OF SEPT. 30TH

Varsity Marvel Rivals
Peach Belt Conference - T1st
NECC - T1st

JV Marvel Rivals
Peach Belt Conference - T1st
NECC - T1st

Premier Valorant
Carolina Collegiate Conference - T1st
NECC - T1st
SEL - T1st

Academy Valorant
Carolina Collegiate Conference - T5th
NECC - T1st

Varsity Rocket League
Carolina Collegiate Conference - T2nd
NECC - T1st
SEL - T1st

With over 125 regular season matches on the schedule for the Fall, there will be plenty of opportunities to catch Lander Esports in action on YouTube this semester.