{"id":10129,"date":"2019-05-28T12:36:37","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T17:36:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=10129"},"modified":"2019-08-06T15:26:39","modified_gmt":"2019-08-06T20:26:39","slug":"maryville-university-league-of-legends-team-wins-third-national-championship-in-four-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/maryville-university-league-of-legends-team-wins-third-national-championship-in-four-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP League of Legends Team Wins Third National Championship in Four Years"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP\u2019s League of Legends Esports Team won the League of Legends Collegiate Championships with a 3-0 sweep over Western University. This is the third college championship for the Saints, who also won in 2016 and 2017.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proud of our student-athletes who lead the collegiate Esports arena,\u201d said president Mark Lombardi, PhD. \u201cTheir hard work and determination has put our Esports Program on the map. Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPlooks forward to leading the collegiate landscape of Esports for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 300 collegiate teams have battled since January 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.<\/p>\n

Student-athletes Aiden \u201cNiles\u201d Tidwell, Andrew \u201cckg\u201d Smith, Michael \u201cWolfe\u201d Taylor, Tony \u201cSaskio\u201d Chau, Luis \u201cClyde\u201d Ferrera and Cody \u201cWalrus\u201d Altman comprised the winning team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis win means a lot for the Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPEsports Program because it\u2019s our third championship in four years,\u201d said Dan Clerke, Maryville\u2019s director of Esports. \u201cThis 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 Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPcareers, and that feels really good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPfounded its Esports Program in 2015, and was one of the first universities in the nation to offer scholarships to Esports student-athletes.<\/p>\n

Maryville\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPis one of six founding members of the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). The organization has expanded to more than 80 schools across the country and represents more than 1,500 student-athletes.<\/p>\n

Click below to view photos from the 2019 League of Legends Collegiate Championships.<\/p>\n

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