Trine esports sees tournament success

By Ian Hoffman
Communication ’26

Two Trine University esports teams, Valorant and Rainbow 6 Siege, excelled in their conference tournaments on March 24.  

The Rainbow 6 team continued its season-long dominance. The team finished its season a perfect 8-0, with a 2-0 win against Olivet in the semifinal and a 2-0 win in the championship against Adrian. 

The team, which consists of Micah Mumaw, an electrical engineering major from Goshen, Indiana, Asher Markitan, a computer and information technology major from Martinsville, Indiana, Braden Duncan, a design engineering technology major from Pendleton, Indiana, Ryan Brown, a computer and information technology major from Chardon, Ohio, and Tristian Smith, a computer and information technology major from Greensburg, Indiana, is currently ranked in the top 20 in the nation. 

They finished the season with a +73-round differential, which means they won 73 more rounds than they lost.  

Jeremy Goossens, director of esports at Trine University, had high praise for the team, saying, “Our Rainbow 6 Siege [team] is one of the best in the country and has done incredible things for our esports program.”  

The Valorant team placed second, winning over Adrian in the semi-final but ultimately losing to Calvin in the final. 

Esports is one of the fastest-growing disciplines of gaming in the world. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the interest in esports has grown tremendously. This has had a trickle-down effect from the professional level to the collegiate level, and Trine has been no exception. 

Trine’s esports teams currently play in the MTI Center and have teams in games such as League of Legends, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow 6 Siege and Valorant. These teams play in the Block House Esports League (BEL), which includes many teams from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA), the conference that most of Trine’s athletic teams are in. 

BEL rivals include Alma College, Albion College, Calvin College, Adrian College and the University of Olivet. 

The success of the esports programs at Trine is not going unnoticed. Earlier in 2024, the university announced plans to make a brand-new esports arena on campus, taking the place of a lecture hall in Best Hall. This new arena will welcome video game enthusiasts and fans to watch the various teams compete. The arena will also host high school competitions, youth programming events, and other on campus events held traditionally by Trine.