{"id":9698,"date":"2019-01-17T17:44:13","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T23:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=9698"},"modified":"2019-09-30T11:17:09","modified_gmt":"2019-09-30T16:17:09","slug":"maryville-universitys-esports-team-earns-no-2-spot-on-new-espn-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/maryville-universitys-esports-team-earns-no-2-spot-on-new-espn-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP\u2019s Esports Team Earns No. 2 Spot on New ESPN Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

ESPN released its first-ever Top 25 College League of Legends Rankings<\/a> this week, with Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP\u2019s League of Legends Esports<\/a> team earning the No. 2 spot.<\/p>\n

\u201cË¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPis proud of our dominant position in collegiate Esports and in our outstanding student athletes who perform at the highest levels,\u201d said President Mark Lombardi, PhD. \u201cWe expect to compete at the highest level of collegiate Esports for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rankings were determined by a panel of coaches and industry experts. Panel members were selected in consultation with Riot Games, maker of League of Legends. ESPN will poll the panel bi-weekly throughout the year to identify the best teams, and release standings every other Monday.<\/p>\n

Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPclaimed its first national title in 2016 and followed with a second national title in 2017 with the League of Legends Collegiate Championships trophy. Though the team was unable to claim its third consecutive national title last season, they are poised for success this year, said Dan Clerke, Maryville\u2019s director of Esports.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team has been practicing very hard, and they are structured and disciplined,\u201d Clerke said. \u201cWe want to redeem what happened last year. We fell short and that\u2019s not acceptable for the expectations we have for the team. So this year, we\u2019re going all out to reclaim the throne.\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 club students. 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

For more information about Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP\u2019s Esports program, please visit https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/studentlife\/esports-clubs\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more information on the first-ever ESPN College League of Legends Rankings, please visit http:\/\/www.espn.com\/esports\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP
\n<\/strong>Founded in 1872, Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP is a comprehensive and nationally ranked private institution with an enrollment of 9,200 students. Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPoffers more than 90 programs at the undergraduate, master\u2019s and doctoral levels to students from 50 states and 55 countries. Among recent graduates, 97 percent are employed or attending graduate school. More than 17,000 Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPalumni work and live in the St. Louis region.<\/p>\n

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