Trine esports wins conference, national titles

Trine University’s esports teams rose to new levels of success this fall, winning their first conference championship and first national titles in Overwatch and League of Legends.

“This was Trine Esports’ best semester by far,” said Jeremy Goossens, director of esports at Trine. “It has been a great inauguration for the Mark and Sarah Music/Ruoff Mortgage Esports Arena. We look forward to building a legacy of success in our new facility.”

Conference champion

The program won its first championship in the MIAA Block House Esports League (MIAA BEL), which is determined by combining points on Rocket League, Overwatch and Super Smash Bros.

Trine finished the season with 380 points, edging out Albion (350 points) and Calvin (330 points).

Trine’s Rocket League team was undefeated in the regular season for the second year in a row. The Thunder defeated Calvin in the semifinal and Albion in the final.

The university’s Super Smash Bros team was also undefeated in the regular season and advanced to the final, where they lost 3-1 to Calvin.

The Overwatch team was 5-1 in the regular season and advanced to the semifinal, losing 3-2 to Calvin before winning the third-place match against Alma.

Six Thunder players were named All-Stars for the season.

Conner Underwood, from Ottawa Hills, Ohio, Logan Hooley, from Goshen, Indiana, and Logan Gault, from Indianapolis, earned honors for Rocket League. Gault was also named an All-Star for Overwatch, becoming the only league player to earn two All-Star selections in one season.

Parker Williamson, from Joplin, Missouri, and AJ Czerniak, from Monterey, Indiana, were named All-Stars for Super Smash Bros.

Underwood was named the season MVP for Rocket League and Williamson was MVP for Super Smash Bros.

Trine had the highest number of All-Stars among MIAA schools.

National titles

The Overwatch team won its ECAC National final Dec. 12 against Florida Atlantic University. It’s the first national championship for Trine in Overwatch.

The Thunder claimed victories against the University of Idaho, Purdue University and the University of South Florida to advance to the finals.

Team members are Gault, Jonah Kyle of Valparaiso, Indiana, Hudson Kelly of LaGrange, Indiana, Sayler Wotta of Bronson, Michigan, and Brockstan Tschannen of Angola, Indiana.

The League of Legends team also won its ECAC National, held Dec. 13 against Florida Atlantic University, after defeating the University of Michigan Flint, Baylor University and Seneca Polytechnic.

The Thunder came back from an 0-2 deficit to defeat Florida Atlantic 3-2 after five hours.

Team members are Ryan Brown of Chardon, Ohio, Jake Doyle of Marengo, Illinois, Marshall Beebe of Nappanee, Indiana, KJ Senetra of Waynesville, Ohio, and Gabe Wisnasky of Mahomet, Illinois.

New arena

This was Trine esports’ first semester in the new Mark and Sarah Music/Ruoff Mortgage Esports Arena.

The new 5,600-square-foot arena, located in Best Hall, transformed an auditorium classroom into a facility featuring 60 state-of-the-art gaming computers.

The $2.1 million project allows Trine esports to cater to a diverse range of gaming preferences and skill levels.

The arena includes a spacious spectator area, dynamic competitive battle stage and fully equipped broadcast booth for live streaming and commentary.