NEW YORK – The fall 2021 League of Legends™ BIG EAST Championship concluded on Sunday with DePaul capturing its second consecutive BIG EAST League of Legends^TM title.

 

Entering the event as the No. 2 seed, DePaul came from behind to top No. 1 seed and previously undefeated St. John’s, 2-1, to earn the victory.

 

Overall, DePaul capped the fall season with an 8-2 mark, while St. John’s fell to 9-1.

 

In the opening round of the BIG EAST Championship title match, St. John’s got off to a blazing start as teammates iHueco and FeelsBackPainMan both earned a round-high seven kills, with four different Johnnies posting at least nine assists.

 

DePaul quickly regrouped in game two, led by kingamazin dominating the stat sheet with nine kills and 15 assists to lead the Blue Demons’ attack. Kingamazin also inflicted 47 percent of the team’s damage, as the Blue Demons evened the tilt at 1-1.

 

In the deciding round, DePaul edged St. John’s to claim the 2021 BIG EAST Fall Championship. In the round, Ahjistair led the charge with an 11 KDA ratio, earning three kills and eight assists, without suffering a death. Meanwhile, kingmazin once again played a key role, landing 37 percent of the team’s damage in the deciding match.

 

Overall, kingmazin led the way with 20 kills for a combined 42 kills and assists, while Ahjistair posted an impressive 9.25 KDA ratio, only suffering four deaths in the competition compared to a combined 37 kills and assists.

 

In Saturday’s semifinal competitions, St. John’s and DePaul both earned sweeps. In the first semifinal game, the Red Storm moved past Marquette, 2-0, before the Blue Demons topped Butler, 2-0, in the later game.

 

The full 2021 fall slate consisted of a best-of-three round robin, with each team playing each other team once. After nine weeks and 36 completed regular-season matches, the top-four positions in the league standings were solidified on Dec. 4, with DePaul being crowned Champions on Dec. 12. This season, competitions were run by Battlefy and all results can be found HERE.

 

Last October, the BIG EAST and EGF announced a three-year agreement that enables all 11-member schools to compete in a year-long multigame season for the first time as official EGF Collegiate (EGFC) league members. EGFC is the national Division I Varsity Esports League with a growing number of schools bringing their own elite teams together to vie for National Championships across a number of game titles.

 

To follow updates on social media, follow #BIGEASTesports. For more on the BIG EAST Conference’s involvement in Esports visit www.BIGEAST.com/esports.

 

NEW YORK – Today, the BIG EAST and Metro Atlantic Athletic Conferences (MAAC) finalized broadcast and event plans for the 2021-22 EGFC MAAC-BIG EAST Challenge which will be held online on December 4th and January 28th. The Challenge will host 14 schools from the two athletic conferences competing head-to-head, one conference against the other. The matches for both events will be produced by the Electronic Gaming Federation, the governing body for Division I collegiate esports.

 

“Esports continue to grow nationally and certainly within the BIG EAST Conference”, said Chris Schneider, BIG EAST Executive Associate Commissioner for Sport Administration and Championships. “We are excited to continue our relationships with EGF and the MAAC in providing our esports programs with great competition.”

 

The first Challenge will begin with Rocket League on Saturday, December 4, with teams from each respective Conference competing against one another across 6 total matches with the Conference earning the most wins being crowned the Challenge Champion. The following month, the Conferences will meet once again in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on January 28.

 

Rocket League Challenge:

Saturday 12/4 on twitch.tv/officialEGF

6:30 PM ET – St. John’s University vs. Niagara University

7:15 PM ET – Butler University vs. Fairfield University

8:00 PM ET – Seton Hall University vs. Iona College

 

Saturday 12/4 on twitch.tv/BIGEASTesports

6:30 PM ET – DePaul University vs. Canisius College

7:15 PM ET – Xavier University vs. Siena College

8:00 PM ET – University of Connecticut vs. Marist College

 

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate:

               Saturday 1/29 @ 12 PM ET on twitch.tv/officialEGF

Saturday 1/29 @ 12 PM ET on twitch.tv/BIGEASTesports

Actual match schedule will be released at a later date.

 

“As the MAAC continues to work to provide more opportunities for our esports players, we are excited to see a second year of the BIG EAST-MAAC Challenge,” said Kiernan Ensor, MAAC Esports Consultant.

 

The MAAC-BIG EAST Challenge follows the Fall 2021 Split of EGFC Season 3, hosting 35+ Division I colleges over 6 game titles. The season resumes in February with the start of the EGFC Season 3 Spring Split with an expected 50+ Division I colleges and universities will continue on the path to the national championship in April.

 

About the BIG EAST

The BIG EAST Conference is an association of 11 nationally prominent colleges and universities that foster healthy athletic competition, community service and the pursuit of excellence in academic environments.  The athletic programs of BIG EAST institutions provide national-caliber participation opportunities for more than 4,100 student-athletes on over 200 men’s and women’s teams in 22 sports.  Established in 1979 and headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST’s members are located in eight of the country’s top 36 largest media markets and include Butler University, University of Connecticut, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University.  For more information, visit www.bigeast.com.

 

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:

With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.

 

ABOUT EGF

Founded in 2015, EGF is the national governing body for formalized collegiate D-I esports and high school level leagues. EGF’s youth, high school and D-I collegiate leagues are inspired by the best aspects of traditional sports to create opportunities for students and schools to engage and advance. For more information or to inquire about collegiate participation, please visit EGF.gg, follow @officialEGF on Twitter, Instagram and Twitch and Facebook or contact info@EGFederation.gg.

(Chicago, IL and Hamburg, Germany) I Play Games! (IPG) is hosting an international Esports Event at the Reeperbahn Festival of Hamburg Germany and DePaul University at both locations on September 24th and 25th! This is an international Esports Tournament hosted in collaboration with I Play Games! and Sister Cities of Chicago International. Both events will host simultaneous FIFA21 tournaments that will be broadcasted live in Chicago and Hamburg, Germany.

Chicago Location: 11:00 a.m. CST, DePaul University, 1 E Jackson St. ,Chicago, IL
How to watch: Twitch.tv/ipg_Esports. Europe Location: 6:00:p.m. GMT, Neuer Pferdemarkt 1,, 20359 Hamburg Festival Tel.: +49-40-431 79 59-17.

 

Approached by the Sister Cities of Chicago International on how to bring more Esports opportunities to Germany, Kevin Fair CEO of I Play Games! set forth a plan that will meet the needs of players in both countries for them to have a great time. Not letting the metric system or difference in appliances and voltage stop him from creating an international Esports tournament, Fair designed both events. IPG is proud to be the backbone of the first Esports tournament to ever be hosted at the Reeperbahn Festival.

Founded in 2009 by Kevin Fair, at the age of 23, I Play Games is a nationwide leader in event planning, providing gaming rooms, and gaming-related entertainment. This company offers a wide range of products and services designed to enhance guests’ gaming experience .. Fair is a native Chicagoan and entrepreneur who believes in helping his community. Pre-covid, Fair hosted a multitude of in-person Esports tournaments like Rocket League.Street Fighter, Super Smash Brothers, Overwatch, and much more. Currently, he hosts these tournaments virtually. Recently, he has also hosted a variety of Esports and Gaming Events with the Chicago Urban League. He’s been featured in major media including the Chicago Tribune and Chicago SunTimes.

 

The Reeperbahn Festival is based in Hamburg, Germany and filled with a wide range of music, visual art, and virtual reality, films, and literature. Reeperbahn Festival has become one of the most important meeting places for the world of music and demonstrates how an exuberant music program can be combined with music industry interests and social initiatives since its debut in 2006. DePaul University: In accordance with current regulations in Illinois, all attendees need to wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status.

 

Reeperbahn Festival: In accordance with the current regulations in Hamburg, this means that access to the festival can only be granted to those people who are either fully vaccinated, tested, or recovered.

By Layla O’Malley

The DePaul Esports community is excited to announce the launch of a new collegiate chapter of the *gameHERs right on our campus! One of the biggest goals of DePaul Esports has always been to create a fun and welcoming environment where everyone can get together and bond over shared interests, and the introduction of the *gameHERs chapter to DePaul will serve to further provide new opportunities for engagement! By partnering with the *gameHERs, we hope to provide a new environment dedicated to the promotion of the voices of all different types of gamers and those interested in Esports and the professional game industry.

In order to bring the *gameHERs to DePaul Esports, it is important to understand the mission and goals of the organization to see how we can work to make this a really exciting new chapter. The *gameHERs, above all else, is an organization designed to amplify the voices of women and non-binary gamers in both professional and recreational video game settings. The community is women-led and prides itself on its abilities to create a space for a variety of people looking to exist in a safe and positive environment! The platform provided by the *gameHERs serves as a hub for content creators, professionals in the gaming industry, and casual video game fans. The organization hosts a myriad of events centered around the mission of advocating for women in games. Furthermore, while the *gameHERs seeks to create a woman-led space built upon empowerment and community, the overarching mission of the organization is to promote the idea of a positive, safe environment meant to provide resources relating to gaming and the game industry to all in a kind and welcoming manner.

With the addition of the collegiate chapter of the *gameHERs at DePaul Esports, we will serve as the liaison between events offered by the *gameHERs and DePaul Esports members while also seeking to provide a similar space of shared community and empowerment through new events of our own. We have begun hosting weekly meetings on Thursdays from 1-2PM CST in the #game-hers chapter of the DePaul Esports Discord where we can share new news from the *gameHERs and generate an environment for comradery, and in the near future we will host a variety of events in partnership with other communities in DePaul Esports centered on different aspects of the casual, competitive, and professional gaming world. As representatives of DePaul’s *gameHERs chapter, we look forward to hosting game nights, professional panels, and casual chats which will all benefit in the amplification of women voices in gaming and Esports. Everyone is welcome to join the *gameHERs chapter within DePaul Esports and we are so excited to work with you in our continued effort to make gaming more accessible and enjoyable for all!

For me personally, I have been so grateful to have the opportunity to work with the *gameHERs and DePaul Esports to create a space that is designed specifically to promote inclusivity. I am very passionate about helping to garner a tighter knit gaming community here at DePaul, and I think creating a channel that allows people to feel safe and heard is a really great way to encourage more participation and create lasting relationships! I cannot wait to see what the *gameHERs will be able to bring to DePaul’s Esports community in the coming future.

 

Check out the announcement launching the *gameHERs Collegiate program here: https://esportsinsider.com/2021/05/thegamehers-womens-collegiate-esports/

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