Maryville University’s Overwatch Esports Team entered tournament play as heavy underdogs and walked out as champions.
Maryville University’s Overwatch Esports Team entered tournament play as heavy underdogs and walked out as champions.
Maryville University’s Overwatch Esports Team won the Overwatch Collegiate Championships, claiming its first national title.
Maryville beat Northwood University in the final round, following a grueling best-of-five series that came down to the final match. Maryville hadn’t beat Northwood all season in any other competition, and they were favorites to win going into the weekend.
In earlier rounds, Maryville had victories against University of Washington, University of Utah and the University of California, San Diego. Those three wins advanced the team to the semifinals where they took on the University of California, Irvine, and swept them 3-0 for the spot in the finals.
“I’m proud of our esports student-athletes for everything they put into this championship,” said Andrew “CKG” Smith, assistant director of esports and head coach for Maryville’s Overwatch Esports Team. “They put the effort in every day to succeed and, in the end, that’s what made the difference.”
Maryville’s Overwatch Esports Team was founded in 2018. The team competed in its first national championship in 2019 and placed third. Last year, the team took second place to Harrisburg University.
“After placing third our first year, and then losing in the finals last year, winning this one means a lot to me,” said Anthony “Mac” Mcintosh, one of the team’s founding members. “This year, our team grew a lot outside of the game, and it showed. After this win, Maryville has established yet another collegiate esports dynasty.”
The Overwatch national championship joins three League of Legends titles that the Maryville Esports Program has garnered since its inception. If the League of Legends Esports Team wins the national championship again this year, Maryville will be the first school to hold both titles at the same time.