{"id":17441,"date":"2025-06-20T14:30:13","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T19:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=17441"},"modified":"2025-06-30T15:12:01","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T20:12:01","slug":"esports-notches-20th-national-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/esports-notches-20th-national-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s Nationally-Recognized Esports Team Notches 20th National Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

Teams see record-breaking wins with three championships in one weekend<\/span><\/i><\/h2>\n


\nMarking its 10th anniversary, Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s nationally-recognized <\/span>Esports program<\/b><\/a> recently completed one of its most successful seasons ever. The University\u2019s League of Legends and Valorant teams won every competition at the 2025 College League of Legends (CLoL) and College Valorant (CVAL) National Championship, which took place on May 31st and June 1st at NC State University. With these two wins, Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s Esports program has won a total of 20 National Championships during the 10 years of the program.<\/span><\/p>\n

In North Carolina, the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ team swept Ole Miss in a best of five series to clinch their first CLoL championship since 2019, with Djalal \u201cSpirax\u201d Dijar taking home the MVP of the series trophy. In the CVAL tournament, the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ team went 3-1 in a rematch against Winthrop University to claim the first CVAL National Championship in program history.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ also won three championships in one weekend at the <\/span>National Association of Collegiate Esports Spring Grand Finals<\/b><\/a> held from April 24-27 in Winter Park, Florida. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s Rocket League team beat West Virginia University to win their first championship as a team, with Dylan \u201cEekso\u201d Pickering winning series MVP. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½\u2019s League of Legends team defeated Winthrop University for their 9th NACE Championship in a row, with Frankie \u201cZamudo\u201d Lin winning series MVP. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½’s Valorant team swept Winthrop University, with Tykhon \u201cWildfire\u201d Benderskyi winning series MVP.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Athletes in the program also maintained a 3.65 average GPA for the year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis impressive milestone is a testament to the dedication, discipline, and talent of our student-athletes\u2014and to the vision and leadership of our pioneering Esports program,\u201d said Dr. Dan Shipp, president of Ä¢¹½´«Ã½. \u201cÄ¢¹½´«Ã½ continues to reimagine higher education and redefine what it means to be a student-athlete through its commitment to innovation and student success. The sky is the limit for these student athletes, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Esports is one of the top collegiate programs in North America, known for its success in titles like League of Legends, Rocket League, and Valorant. The program blends competitive excellence with academic standards, setting a high bar for what\u2019s possible in college esports.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur athletes demonstrated tremendous grit, resilience, and determination all year long,\u201d said Dan Clerke, director of Esports at Ä¢¹½´«Ã½. \u201cTo win or outright sweep this many national championships while excelling in their course studies is a huge achievement. Hundreds of institutions have followed our lead in starting Esports programs, but this year demonstrated that Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ continues to be the top collegiate Esports program in the country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ founded its Esports program in 2015, and was one of the first universities in the country to offer scholarships. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ is one of the six founding members of NACE, which now supports 200 member institutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ Ä¢¹½´«Ã½<\/b><\/p>\n

Founded in 1872, Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ is a comprehensive and nationally ranked private institution with an enrollment of over 9,000 students. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ offers over 90 degrees at the undergraduate, master\u2019s and doctoral levels, as well as several certificates that align with the undergraduate and graduate education levels. Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ is recognized as the third fastest-growing private university in the United States by The Chronicle of Higher Education, serving students from all 50 states and 56 countries. More than 20,000 Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ alumni work and live in the St. Louis region. <\/span><\/p>\n

<\/i>Love<\/span>0<\/span><\/span><\/a> <\/i> <\/i>