Will compete in global competition in June
Northwood University’s Esports team is eying a global title.
Northwood entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed, and the team finished in the top spot nationwide after winning the Collegiate Rocket League North American Championship.
“Winning the North American Championship means Northwood is the first university to qualify for the inaugural Collegiate Rocket League World Championship, which will be held in June of 2022,” said Coach Cody Elsen. “Northwood will face the best colleges across Europe and Asia.”
The team finished its regular season with a 13-2 record. In the playoffs, Northwood defeated Valleyfield College, St. Clair College and Stockton University. After winning the Eastern Conference, Northwood played in the North American Championship, defeating the University of Texas Arlington and Stockton University University, in addition to Columbia College 4-3 in the grand finals.
“We won in an overtime thriller with LionBlaze (Hunter Woitas) scoring the winning goal,” Elsen noted.
Most recently, on April 4, Northwood won the Collegiate Valorant National Championship.
“Northwood went 4-0 in group stages defeating Boise State University, Windsor University, University of Washington and Florida International University,” Elsen said. “In the playoffs (for this championship), Northwood defeated University of Ottawa, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Seneca College and James Madison University, in addition to a 2-0 win against Kennesaw State University in the grand finals after a quadruple overtime win in game 2.”
The Northwood Esports Team consists of 84 students. Elsen said hours and hours of work go into winning these championship titles, with most players putting in a minimum of 25 hours per week on the game.
“The future of the program looks bright and will continue to thrive on a national stage,” Elsen added.
