By Kevin Donnelly
Throughout the months of April and May, the Chicago College Esports League had six schools field various esports teams to compete to find out who would be dubbed best in the windy city. Competing in four competitive titles, Rocket League, Valorant, League of Legends, and Overwatch, the teams would accrue points for their school based on their performance against one another in each game. Concluding on Sunday, May 9th, DePaul Esports and their competitive teams conquered the Chicago competition and were crowned CCEL champions!
DePaul leapt off to an early lead in the standings through a strong showing in Valorant, with a 6-1 record, spearheaded by freshman Casimir “Kaz” Peterson. The DePaul Rocket League team then carried the momentum of their classmates onto the “soccar” pitch, claiming a commanding victory in the title, a flawless 7-0 record, and a win against the overall runner-ups UIC in the process. Overwatch was up next as the third featured title, and saw the Blue Demons cruise to a second place finish, with a 5-2 record. Senior and Overwatch leader Tom “Prime” Zdanowski, who helped tournament organizers throughout the event, said, “Really proud of the lessons learned from hosting this event alongside a great showing from all of the teams over at DePaul Esports.” Finally, teams faced off in League of Legends, however DePaul was unable to participate due to midterm exam priorities. Despite being unable to come away from the title’s competition with any points, DePaul’s lead in the standings was too great for any other school to catch and they emerged from the multi-week melee victorious. In addition to their title as the toughest competition in Chicago, DePaul Esports also came away with a $1,000 prize.
After congratulating DePaul on their success, Hauk Nelson, the lead organizer for the CCEL along with GGLeagues said on Twitter that he is, “proud to have built an event here in Chicago, and looking forward to building the esports community in the Windy City!”. Needless to say, things are looking bright for the Chicago Esports community with such dedicated organizations backing it.
“It was with great pleasure that I got to help organize this tournament alongside GGLeagues, Hauk, and the efforts of team captains at each university and esport that was involved. Will indefinitely be taking the lessons learned from helping make this event happen alongside a great showing from all of the teams. Looking forward to the future of esports in Chicago and esports at colleges.” – Tom “Prime” Zdanowski
Zdanowski has been an incredible contributor to both the Chicago and collegiate esports scenes for several years now, as a member of the DePaul Esports Student Leadership Team. It can be certain that there will be a slew of events in the future which Tom will have a hand in coordinating, so be sure to keep your eye out for those.
Once again, many congratulations to our players for bringing a championship home, and make sure to congratulate the teams on social media, through @DePaulEsports! Stay on the lookout for more exciting esports events involving your Blue Demons! #DPUWIN
Final CCEL Standings:
1st Place: DePaul University: 60 Points
2nd Place: UIC: 24 Points
3rd Place: Northwestern: 35 Points
4th Place: University of Chicago: 30 Points
5th Place: Columbia College: 20 Points
6th Place: Illinois Institute of Technology: 10 Points