By: Matthew Hasley
In an amazing collegiate Overwatch matchup, the Cameron University Pickaxes were victorious over the College of New Jersey (CNJ) Lions Gaming Blue in a 3-0 sweep.
The intense battles spanned across three maps—Oasis, King’s Row, and New Junk City—showcasing exceptional teamwork and standout performances from both teams.
The first game began on Oasis, a control map, where CNJ took the lead early, eliminating Pickaxe Captain Gleis (Sarah M.) and dominating the first fight. However, the Pickaxes regrouped quickly, with Gleis, playing as Reaper, and Damage Per Second (DPS) player WinterInParis (Wyatt M.), playing Genji, delivering a spectacular combination of ultimates to reclaim the point in the fifth fight. Despite CNJ’s attempts to stall with Wrecking Ball in overtime, the Pickaxes secured the first round.
Round two saw the Pickaxes take control early thanks to a key rotation call by WinterInParis. After a back-and-forth battle, the Pickaxes clinched the game with Azari’s Kiriko ultimate, Kitsune Rush, turning the tide in their favor.
“We struggled early on and came together to win without losing calmness or arguing,” WinterInParis said.
Game two began on King’s Row, a popular hybrid map amongst the Overwatch community. On defense, the Pickaxes held their ground, with Gleis’ Junkrat and WinterInParis’ Widowmaker earning crucial early kills.
Despite the Pickaxes early success, CNJ rotated after regrouping, taking high ground and securing the first point. CNJ then broke through in overtime to push the payload to the second checkpoint but couldn’t complete the map as Jonesy’s timely Ramattra ultimate halted their progress.
Switching to offense, the Pickaxes capitalized on a similar high-ground strategy devised by Jonesy (Jones B.), pushing the payload efficiently to second point.
“I had a rough start but mirrored their tank, which helped me stay in fights and support the team,” Jonesy said.
Gleis’ Reaper ultimate and Azari’s Kiriko ultimate sealed the victory for the Pickaxes.
“It started off feeling pretty close, but once we understood their playstyle, everything came together,” Gleis said.
The final game, a Flashpoint map named New Junk City, saw Frogboi’s (Elijah R.) Lucio securing early picks for a team kill on the first point. However, CNJ answered back on point two, using multiple ultimates, but the Pickaxes’ DPS duo of Gleis and WinterInParis regained control.
Azari’s Kitsune Rush and a clutch Reaper ultimate from Gleis led to the decisive third point capture, sealing the sweep.
“I was nervous going in, but our tank’s confident play proved I had nothing to worry about,” said Azari. “Our DPS were on point, and Frogboi was the key to keeping everyone alive.”
Frogboi echoed the sentiment on their triumph.
“We kept calm even though we were struggling at first,” Frogboi said. “I believe that helped us win.”
This victory demonstrated the Pickaxes’ strength and adaptability. While CNJ Lions Gaming Blue presented an impressive challenge, the Pickaxes’ strategic rotations, ultimate coordination, communication and calmness under pressure propelled them to victory.
“We started rolling them and doing good,” said Gleis.
The Pickaxes continue their playoff run on Wednesday, November 20th against Grace College. Tune in to the Pickaxe’s Twitch stream at www.twitch.tv/esportscu to see the team compete in the playoffs and showcase their strength in collegiate Overwatch.