O’Reilly and Zielinski Secure Wins in Week 2 of NJCAAE Spring Mario Kart Season
March 6, 2025 - - The Lorain County Community College #CommodoreEsports team was back in action on Thursday night for Week 2 of Tiers 2 & 3 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE) spring season.
Competing for LCCC on Thursday were James O'Reilly (North Ridgeville, Ohio/North Ridgeville HS) and Collin Zielinski (North Olmsted, Ohio/North Olmsted HS), both securing dominant victories in their matches.
O'Reilly earned a five-race victory over Mott Community College, bouncing back after a loss in his Week 1 debut in Tier 2 competition. He didn't stop there—he went on to sweep Lake Region State College 4-0 in Tier 3 play, improving his record to 1-1 in both tiers.
Zielinski also delivered a 4-0 sweep against Luzerne County Community College in Tier 3 play, following a split in his Week 1 matches. His Open Series record now stands at 2-1.
Next Up:
The #CommodoreEsports team returns to action on Friday with Tier 3 competition in NJCAAE Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Call of Duty. LCCC's live stream of the events begins at 6 p.m.
About CommodoreEsports:
LCCC's Esports team competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE), which is divided into three competition tiers:
Tier 1 – Premier Series (PS): The highest level of NJCAAE competition, featuring teams composed of eligible students.
Tier 2 – Contender Series (CS): The mid-level competition, also for teams of eligible students.
Tier 3 – Open Series (OS): The most accessible level, open to participants who do not have to meet student eligibility requirements but must be associated with LCCC.
The NJCAAE has two seasons: fall (September–December) and spring (February–April). Both seasons last seven weeks before the postseason begins. LCCC has players competing across all three tiers, and full-time students can choose to participate in any tier.
Games LCCC Esports competes or has competed in:
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – A fighting game featuring characters from the Nintendo universe, played on the Nintendo Switch. Players can compete in 1v1 best-of-five matches or Crew Battle, a 3v3 elimination-style format.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – A racing game featuring Nintendo characters, also played on the Nintendo Switch.
Valorant – A PC first-person shooter where teams of five compete in a best-of-three format. One team attempts to plant and detonate a spike, while the opposing team tries to defuse it.
Overwatch 2 – Another first-person shooter, in which teams compete using unique hero characters.
Fortnite – LCCC began competing in this battle royale game in 2024.
Marvel Rivals – A 6v6 third-person shooter featuring characters from the Marvel Universe, with LCCC set to begin competition in spring 2025.
Madden – A football simulation game.
Tekken & Street Fighter – Both hand-to-hand combat fighting games.