Posted: Aug 04, 2021

Fortnite - Spring ‘21 in Review

MEQUON, Wis. - Fortnite has taken not just the esports scene, but the entire world by storm. Fortnite has one of the biggest scenes in collegiate esports, which means there are also a lot of opportunities for competition for collegiate esports. Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) Esports, run by head coach Lewis Smith, saw those opportunities and jumped on them as fast as they could.

Fortnite has been one of the biggest strengths for CUW esports. They competed in the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Duos League, the PlayVS Solos League, and the PlayVS Trios League. Both Duo 1 and Duo 2 for CUW esports finished in the top 20 duos in the nation. Duo 1 consisted of Steven "Swerved" Pieroni, and Anthony "Shift" Garron. Duo 2 consisted of Kode "KodeWorld" Keys, and William Gillman.

CUW Fortnite had seven players competing in the PlayVS Solos League and the standout player for the Solos League was Steven Pieroni. Steven had been ranked as the number one player in the nation a couple of times and had spent most of the weeks in the top 15 during the regular season and even finished in the top 15 for playoffs. His fellow transfer, Anthony had also finished in the top 50 in the nation for the solos league.

In the Trios League, CUW Fortnite had 2 Trios competing. Trio 1 consisted of Steven, Colby "Gingi" Williams, and Anthony. This trio had high expectations this season from Coach Smith, as he said to me, "I wasn't lying to them when I said my expectation was for them to win the national championship." This is because Trio 1 had been playing Fortnite with each other for 3 years, and they did not disappoint this season. Trio 1 ended up finishing top 25 in the nation. Trio 2 consisted of Austin "Augi" Lichtenstein, Kode, and Aidan "OD3215" O'Donnell. This was their first semester playing together as a trio, but they played very well together. Trio 2 ended up finishing top 40 in the nation but barely missed the playoffs. Both trios have a lot to build on for the upcoming season.

At the start of the fall semester, Steven and Anthony originally were not enrolled at CUW. However, Gingi was a big reason in convincing both players to transfer to CUW for the spring semester. Steven and Anthony wanted to be at a place that would help encourage them to play Fortnite at a high level and help maximize their potential, which is where Coach Smith came into play. Coach Smith was the final hammer on the nail that showed them why CUW was the place for them to go for Fortnite.

I was able to talk to Steven about his expectations for next season, and he told me, "I'm excited about everything. Playing trios with two guys that I've been playing with for years and having the opportunity to represent our school is extremely exciting and it is something I look forward to every single week." Steven has set his goals already for making it back to the finals and being more prepared next time.

CUW Fortnite has realistic odds and a very good chance to finish as one of the 10 best programs in the nation, and that is what they intend to do. Both trios have a lot to build on for next season, a top 15 ranked player has his mindset on making it back to the finals, and Duo 1 consisting of CUW's best 2 Fortnite players give me the expectations of something big and something great coming their way.