After a successful campaign last season, the Heartland Esports team continued its prowess into the fall as the Hawks captured three national championships in NBA 2K, Super Smash Bros Ultimate Crews (3 v. 3) and Fortnite Build (2 v. 2).
 
"We have had an amazing season with players across multiple games place in the postseason," Heartland head coach Jarrod Rackauskas said. "As head coach, I am extremely proud of our program and the culture our players are building. Our players give it their all in and out of competition."
 
Jono Edmonson continued his impressive NBA 2K career, as the defending national champion was crowned yet again as the champion for the fall slate.
 
Luke Sherman also joined Edmondson as a repeat national champion, this time leading the Super Smash Bros Ultimate Crew 3 v. 3 squad. SSBU Crews involves a team of three players that compete against other squads of three. Despite some early season adversity, Sherman and fellow teammates Matthew "Bo" Larson and Alex Baccheschi finished as champions.
 
"I am very proud of our SSBU Crews team for winning the national championship in the first ever NJCAAE bracket for the format," Sherman said. "With SSBU Crews continuing to grow in popularity, even more eyes will be on us next season as we continue to refine our team and attempt to defend our national championship."
 
Caleb Spicer finished in second place at nationals in Street Fighter 6, while the Hawks solidified six third-place finishes at nationals in Madden NFL (Jackson Grabel), Super Smash Bros Ultimate (Bo Larson), Mario Kart 8 (Kevin Gonzalez), Mario Kart 8 4 v. 4, Rocket League 3 v. 3 and Super Smash Bro Ultimate (Alex Baccheschi).
 
"Our Mario Kart team demonstrated immense potential in its inaugural season, winning trophies in both the 1 v. 1 format and the 4 v. 4 team competition," Gonzalez said. "The team's constant effort and determination to improve led to its success. The team looks forward to the upcoming season, where we hope to go further than this season, even with many schools now aware of the Hawks' prowess."
 
Jack Hooker also placed for the Hawks in Street Fighter 6 in fourth place, while Luke Merian led the League of Legends squad to a fourth-place finish.
 
"This fall we had four returning players and two new ones," Merian said. "Our scrims before the season started were really rough which resulted in two players swapping positions. With another player swapping at the beginning of the preseason, we had three players who were in relatively unfamiliar positions. However, after a couple weeks we were a force to be reckoned with, as we were constantly defeating team that were above our skill level."  
 
Rounding out the national trophy winners for the Hawks were the Call of Duty 2 v. 2 team and Caleb Larson in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
 
"Esports has not only helped me get better at competing and friendship-building, but has also helped me become a better person," Larson said. "As for next semester, I'm really looking forward to it! It's my last semester of competition, so I'm shooting for the T2 champion title. With the rate I've been improving at, and with my coaches' support, I know it's possible."
 
After a fall season that included immense success for the Hawks, Rackauskas is excited for what the future holds.
 
"In two short years, HCC has become a dominant program in the NJCAAE and one of the best two-year esports programs," Rackauskas explained.  "This is only possible because we have amazing student leadership and talent that works."