ANNVILLE, Pa. – After a long wait, the 2026-2027 Esports season is about to kick off! With National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) activation tournaments beginning next week, it's time to preview what lies ahead for the LVC Esports program.

Rocket League— The Rocket League team returns two of three starters and looks to reload, following a top-16 placement in the national circuit last season. Returnees Collin Schick and Dawson Boyer will team with senior Colton Yohe to round out the starting roster, with junior Fabio Flores-Rodriguez as the fourth squad member. They will also have a chance to shape the future of Rocket League at The Valley as the program welcomes four new faces who will compete as a JV Rocket League squad. The young roster features first-years Martin Basmajian, Nate Gilfert, Joshua Marosi, and sophomore Hayden Hornung. Rocket League at LVC will have the complete package this season with an experienced varsity team ready to make some noise at the national level, joined by a JV team that is ready to learn and grow over the next four years as Flying Dutchmen.

Valorant— Off the back of their national championship victory in the spring, Valorant will have a completely new look this year. The national champs graduated Andrew Houck, Antonio Allen, and Michai Figueroa in May, leaving just one returning member in Thomas Mills. Joining Mills this season in the starting lineup will be first-year Travis Belcher, sophomore Jaren Boles, first-year Jace Diperna, and first-year Nirdesh Siwakoti. Senior Hope Kramer and first-year Lucas Kesten round out the team. Another young team for the Dutchmen, the Valorant squad is looking to quickly incorporate the game plan of veteran coach Robbie Bonnaci and acclimate to the collegiate Valorant scene. The team shows a lot of promise and room for growth as one of the youngest in the program.    

Super Smash— After just narrowly falling short of a national playoff berth, Super Smash returns a majority of last year's roster while adding a program-high six new faces, opening the door for a developmental JV team, following a tryout tournament hosted two weeks ago. The varsity team welcomes returning juniors Silvia Carnell, Joseph Cremen, and Adam Felker along with senior Cindy Santana-Medina and sophomore Dylan Serapiglia. First-year standout Victor Disla also joins the roster. The JV team will consist primarily of first-year students Caie Buffington, Cole Ebright, Wesley Morrison, Derek Soto-Torres, and Justin Teague. Sophomore Jonathan Huntington and senior Grace Simion will also compete with the JV squad. 

Keep up with the Dutchmen on X (@lvc_esports), Instagram (@lvc_esports), and catch matches live on our Twitch channel at twitch.tv/lebanonvalleycollege. If you would like to get involved with the program, reach out to head coach Harold Bowman (hbowman@lvc.edu) to learn more.