Gaming goals and hockey dreams: Anthony Solt’s multifaceted college journey

Playing NHL 2K5 on his Xbox and then running upstairs to recreate the plays with his mini net and sticks, Anthony Solt has had an affinity for hockey and esports from a young age. Solt, now a 22-year-old Syracuse University senior, continues both his passions at the collegiate level.   

Growing up in Broomfield, Colorado, Solt started ice hockey when he was eight. When he wasn’t playing on the ice, he was on his Xbox, usually playing Halo and Call of Duty.

Thanks to his friend, who participated in hockey and esports at Grand Canyon University, Solt developed a passion for a new game: Counter-Strike.

“He put collegiate Counter-Strike on the map,” Solt said.

This experience opened his eyes to continuing his passion for esports into his college years and figuring out where that fits into his future.  

Attending Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire, he credits his advisor, a KUA alum and a part of the hockey team, for putting the idea of attending SU in his head. He found Syracuse to be the perfect match for him as it had everything he wanted.

“Syracuse has excellent academics, a hockey team I could play on, and the new esports space in the Barnes Center,” Solt said.

Solt saw a lot of potential in the esports program, and that played an integral role in his decision to come to Syracuse.

As a member of SU’s Club Hockey team, captain of the Counter-Strike team in the esports program and a computer science major, Solt is a dedicated student-athlete. He shares that the main way to get better at Counter-Strike is to run reps and play more, similar to how he needs to attend each hockey practice to improve. These are time-consuming tasks for an already very busy Solt.

Courtesy of David Herman

Anthony Solt on ice competing with Syracuse Men’s Ice Hockey Club team.

“I take pride in the things that I do, and I don’t quit. The things I care about and the things that I put my time into, I make sure to do right, and they get all my attention,” Solt said.

Even with how busy he is, Solt is happy to do everything he loves and is proud of his commitment to each aspect of his life. When the hockey team isn’t working hard at the rink, they can be found holding various philanthropy events. 

“We have a really good group of guys, and we’re trying to kind of pay it forward,” Solt said.

The team has hosted promos recently, such as Military Night, Alumni Weekend, and a fundraiser called “Pink the Rink” to raise breast cancer awareness. Solt especially enjoyed Alumni Weekend when he got to see the adviser who recommended Syracuse to him for the first time since he graduated from Kimball Union Academy.

Even though the SU Hockey team is classified as a club team, Solt wants people to know that it’s way more than just a club.

The team practices very often and travels for their games, sometimes great distances. During Solt’s tenure, the team traveled out to Liberty University and Ohio University. Each member of the team spends lots of time in the rink and puts in a considerable amount of work for the team on and off the ice.

When he is not at Tennity Ice Pavilion practicing and playing with his hockey team, Solt is in the esports room on the ground floor of the Barnes Center. Now a recognized varsity sport, the esports team has had great success in developing its program over the years. 

“The big thing is the staff, everyone is so hands-on and good at what they do,” Solt said.

The program has grown rapidly and expanded to new spaces at the university, most recently earning a spot in the Schine Student Center.  Solt’s favorite memory with the esports team was when his Counter-Strike team won the National Championship. 

“That was probably one of the coolest things I’ve done here,” Solt said.

The team was flown to Orlando to compete at Full Sail University. It was fun for Solt to play not only in the championship but also with his teammates, who had become extremely close friends of his.  

While Esports and Hockey are very different, they do have one major similarity: competitiveness.

In both, you play to win. You work with your teammates and put your all into your games and competitions to ensure that you come out on top. Solt compares shooting pucks at a net in hockey to running reps in Counter-Strike: it is all about practice.

For Solt, the practice has made perfect.