Maryville University’s League of Legends Esports Team won its third national championship in four years: the 2019 League of Legends Collegiate Championship.
Maryville University’s League of Legends Esports Team won its third national championship in four years: the 2019 League of Legends Collegiate Championship.
Maryville University’s League of Legends Esports Team won the League of Legends Collegiate Championships in May, with a 3-0 sweep over Western University. This is the third college championship for the Saints, who also won in 2016 and 2017.
More than 300 collegiate teams battled for months for top honors in the largest collegiate esports championship in North America. The final eight teams met in Los Angeles to face off for the title.
Maryville student-athletes Aiden “Niles” Tidwell, Andrew “CKG” Smith, Michael “Wolfe” Taylor, Tony “Saskio” Chau, Luis “Clyde” Ferrera and Cody “Walrus” Altman comprised the winning team.
“This win means a lot for the Maryville Esports Program because it’s our third championship in four years,” said Dan Clerke, Maryville’s director of esports. “This proves the hard work we put in yields consistent results. And, we were able to win for our graduating seniors who helped us achieve our first-ever championship earlier in their Maryville careers, and that feels really good.”
Maryville’s League of Legends Esports Team claimed its first national title in 2016 and followed with its second national title with the League of Legends Collegiate Championships trophy in 2017. The team also captured the inaugural NACESports Invitational championship that same year.
But the team walked away without a trophy in 2018, after being bumped out of the quarterfinals by the University of Illinois. They spent the last year practicing and revisiting strategy in order to reclaim the throne.
“I was elated when we won because it has been a long year,” said Andrew “CKG” Smith. “That winning moment reminded me how hard we have worked. We overcame our issues and struggles as a team, and it feels very rewarding.”
Maryville founded its Esports Program in 2015 and was one of the first universities in the nation to offer scholarships to esports student-athletes. In anticipation of the program’s continued growth, Maryville unveiled a new Esports Performance Center this fall. The building features practice rooms with state-of-the-art equipment, offices for coaching staff and a common room outfitted with TVs and modular seating for competition viewing.
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