KENOSHA, Wis. — Jena Pillman (Jenny), a sophomore studying fine arts education and photography from Lynwood, Illinois, is a starter on Carthage Overwatch Black, where she primarily plays Support. Pillman's main objective is to stabilize the team during numerous team fights across National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) matches.

For those unfamiliar, Overwatch (OW) is a free-to-play 5v5 team-based hero shooter where players select a unique hero with special abilities and roles (Tank, DPS, Support) to achieve objectives across game modes such as Control, Escort, Flashpoint, Hybrid, and Push. The gameplay emphasizes team cooperation and strategic planning to succeed in a team-oriented combat environment.

The Support role, in particular, is considered "the backbone of a team composition." In OW, the Tank dictates the frontline, while Damage (DPS) players create pressure by controlling flank routes and targeting high-value enemies. Supports enable their Tank and DPS teammates to take aggressive angles and secure kills by healing them. Alongside the need to heal, Supports must manage the cooldowns of their powerful non-healing abilities, which can be used to negate incoming enemy abilities. Each team has two Support players, so they must work together to keep each other alive.

Once the Supports fall, a team composition begins to crumble because there is no longer healing available to the squad. Therefore, Pillman plays an important role on the Carthage OW Black team. In addition to serving as a starter on OW Black, Pillman is known for her graphic design and photography work in our program. She has published gameday and post-game graphics on the Carthage Esports Instagram for teams like Super Smash Bros. Red. Additionally, she has helped photograph OW Red at various LAN events, including the Spring 2026 Wisconsin Esports Conference (WEC) State Championship at UW-Stout this past May.

Pillman's desire for esports developed before entering college. Even before her days at Lynwood High School, Pillman always loved video games, which fueled her drive to play competitively with friends. After some time, she competed alongside them in Valorant Premier—an in-game tournament mode where players form a team of five to seven members to compete in structured weekly matches and playoffs. Essentially, teams are placed into divisions based on skill, using professional rules like map pick/ban phases. The highest divisions serve as a direct pathway into professional esports, allowing top amateur teams to qualify for Valorant Challengers leagues.

"I honestly really enjoyed it, because it gave us a chance to bond, work together, and become closer as a team."
— Pillman on how she valued Valorant Premier with friends.

From there, Pillman and her friends found a new game to add to their competitive gaming rotation, OW2, which released for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X on Oct. 4, 2022. In short, Blizzard Entertainment, the developer of OW, rebranded the game to transition the franchise toward a free-to-play model with battle passes, replacing the original game's outdated loot box system. This shift allowed them to upgrade the game's internal software engine for 5v5 combat, revitalize a declining player base, and establish a more sustainable, long-term revenue stream.

However, the "two" only lasted until Feb. 10, 2026. Blizzard Entertainment reversed course and opted for a fresh start as a "forever game" with a permanent, evolving live-service ecosystem. This symbolic move distances the franchise from past controversies—particularly the canceled PvE mode tied to the sequel's name—while launching a massive new narrative era that began with The Reign of Talon.

"When Overwatch 2 came out, one of my friends begged all of us to get it since it was free and it had given us another game to play besides Valorant. That ended up introducing me to one of my favorite games. Because of how much gaming had already brought my friends and me closer, I knew I wanted to find a college with an esports program that felt welcoming and friendly."
— Pillman on finding Overwatch through her friends and how it inspired her to look for a particular esports program

After she wrapped up her high school tenure at Lynwood, Pillman became determined to identify which college would fit her academic and esports dreams for the next few years.

"That's one of the things [gaming bringing me closer to friends] that made Carthage stand out. I came here for both my major and esports. I love that Carthage has a great art and teaching program, and the esports program made me even more excited about coming here. It honestly made Carthage feel like the right place for me."
— Pillman on what truly attracted her to Carthage College

With her collegiate destination locked in, Pillman became eager to compete for Carthage Esports on OW Black. In the 2025-26 competitive year, she, Chris Duffey (Lithecash), and Alek Miech (Stewie) all started as freshmen full-time. Throughout the season, OW Black saw roster changes, which meant adding then-sophomore and RL White player Kaliek Wade (Akko). Pillman and co. were captained by then-junior Ethan Anderson (Snowstorm).

In Fall 2025 NECC, OW Black competed in the Division IX Central A Stage. As the regular season wrapped up, Pillman and her teammates accumulated a 3-3 overall record and an 11-9 map record. With these statistics, the team earned fourth place in conference standings and clinched the No. 7 seed throughout the Division IX Central playoffs. A 2-0 sweep against Northern Illinois University (NIU) in Week Seven sealed the deal on Nov. 7, 2025. Although the team underwent a significant roster change late in the season, it rallied behind Wade as he made his debut.

From here, OW Black faced No. 2 Evansville University Aces in the quarterfinals on Nov. 14, 2025. Unfortunately, Pillman and co. suffered a 3-1 series loss. The following game modes and maps were completed: Control (Ilios; 2-1 loss), Hybrid (King's Row; 4-3 overtime), Flashpoint (Suravasa; 3-0 loss), Escort (Rialto; 1-0 loss). Despite the outcome, one major highlight for OW Black came in Map Two Hybrid on King's Row. With 42 seconds remaining in overtime, the team captured only 72% of the objective point required to unlock a payload. However, on defense, OW Red prevented Evansville from fully capturing the point for roughly one minute. This was a difficult task to achieve, considering one bad team fight would have shattered OW Red's chances of forcing a 1-1 series tie at the time.

Transitioning to Spring 2026 NECC, Pillman and her teammates were promoted to the Division VIII East B Stage. After a more challenging regular season, OW Black finished 4-3 overall with a 13-9 map record. With these metrics, they earned fourth place in conference standings and were subsequently awarded the No. 8 seed throughout the Division VIII East playoffs. However, OW Black suffered a 3-0 quarterfinal loss against No. 1 Edinboro University on March 27.

"Since joining Carthage Esports, the program has come to mean a lot to me. I've been able to make so many friends, become a member of the esports media team, and help out with streams. More than anything, I've met so many people that I'm grateful to call my friends and teammates. Esports has given me a community where I can enjoy something I love while also meeting people, creating amazing memories, and growing as a person with them."
— Pillman on what Carthage Esports has meant to her as a whole

Heading into her junior year, Pillman is looking forward to continuing her esports career with OW Black. Following the Spring 2026 NECC season, Pillman stated, "As we put together two straight seasons with playoff appearances, it illustrated our consistency. Even though we suffered first-round exits in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026, they helped us see what we need to improve on." Furthermore, Pillman assured that "transitioning from Division IX to Division VIII was big for us [OW Black] and proved how much we grew individually and as a team." We are excited to see how far OW Black can push themselves across the 2026-27 competitive year.

Carthage Esports is currently in-season with NECC and WEC competition. We have scheduled Fall 2026 NECC livestreams for Smash Bros. (Tuesdays), Rainbow Six (Wednesdays), and Overwatch (Fridays). This pattern occurs for regular-season matches from the week of Sept. 28 to the week of Nov. 9. 

Follow @carthageesports on all socials to stay updated on content involving the upcoming Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 seasons. Follow our Twitch channel to be informed when broadcasts go live. Lastly, be on the lookout for recaps on the Carthage Athletics – Esports page as the Fall 2026 NECC and WEC seasons continue.