CHEYENNE, WY – The Laramie County Community College esports team is reloading for the 2024-25 campaigns and are looking to expand on their success to new titles with the newest additions to the roster, as three championship level gamers have joined the Golden Eagles.
A highlight of the class comes in Jesse Wardle from Pueblo West, Colorado where he was a dominant force for the state champion Mario Kart team from Pueblo West High School.
Not only was he a big part of the team title, but he also brought home multiple championships as an individual at both the state and national levels.
“I saw how serious Coach Kershaw takes the esports team and I wanted a coach that’s able to help me with the stuff that needs to get done, more than just being good at video games. Someone to back me up on the information that I know,” Wardle said.
While in high school, Wardle won three different national titles, two pacific regional titles, and two state championships in just one year.
“Bringing that to LCCC and how seriously I take my video games, I think I could win nationals here as well.”
Another Colorado prospect will be joining Wardle as Sydney De La Cruz signed to join the team from Fort Collins where they attended Rocky Mountain High School.
De La Cruz helped to win the Colorado team title for Super Smash Bros: Ultimate and was the PlayVS SSBU Champion as an individual. Not only do they compete in SSBU, but De La Cruz brings a successful resume in Tekken 8 and Valorant under the gamer tag “Tajin”.
“I’m excited to see Sydney take their fighter skills to the next level, continuing on their high school championship form at the collegiate level,” Head Esports Coach John Kershaw said. “I expect big things from Sydney!”
The final addition to the team comes from Glenrock. Gavin Thornock was a multi-sport athlete for Glenrock High School, competing on the golf team but his passion is in esports, where he helped get the gaming team started.
His focus is in Valorant where he plays under the gamer tag “gdog” and has multiple to five finishes in an array of tournaments.
“LCCC is a winning school,” Thornock said. “Their esports teams have experience that I will grow from compared to other schools and LCCC's computer science program is ranked high nationwide.”
Thornock may be best at Valorant, but also will have the chance to compete in other titles as he brings a variety of experience to the team.
The NJCAAE fall season will begin in September and more information on the LCCC esports team can be found at www.golccc.com as it becomes available.