HARRISBURG, PA – On Friday, September 20, 2024, Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (HU) transformed from a college campus to an action-packed hub for collegiate esports excellence. The Harrisburg University Esports (HUE) Invitational, presented by Intel, ran from September 20–22 and featured fierce, team-based competitions in League of Legends, Rocket League, and Valorant.
HUE Invitational 2024: By the Numbers
- 3 days of competitive action
- 200+ attendees
- 17 competing schools, 28 different game rosters
- 10 states represented
- 45+ student volunteers
- 26+ hours streamed on Twitch
- 5,200+ unique viewers
- Partners included Intel (presenting partner), College Esports News (CEN), Spectrum Industries, and Zenni Gaming
HUE Play-by-Play
Friday saw the kickoff of one of the largest college-run esports events, with more than 200 attendees from 10 states and Canada beginning the round-robin competition early in the day in League of Legends and Rocket League. Canada’s St. Clair College emerged victorious and moved on to their other round-robin matches.
In the afternoon, The HU Storm and Penn State got the Valorant competition off to an exciting start, with The Storm picking up their first win of the event. But the talk of the day was the Round 2 match between the Michigan State and West Virginia University Valorant teams. Seemingly evenly matched as they went toe to toe, West Virginia finally emerged victorious after going into overtime with a final score of 18-16.
Day 2 began with more Rocket League and Valorant action. Concord University won decisively 3-0 over Syracuse and continued their dominant path through the group stage to playoffs on Day 3. The top four Rocket League teams moved on to Day 3 for playoffs, including Maryville University, Concord University, Illinois State University, and West Virginia University.
Valorant saw some close matchups during Day 2. Blinn College and Harrisburg University went into overtime in Round 4, but Blinn took the win with a score of 17-15. Viewers also witnessed the biggest surprise of the day in Round 4 when St. Clair defeated Maryville decisively 13-2.
After the conclusion of the group stage, the top four Valorant teams prepared for Day 3. St. Clair college clinched the #1 seed, followed by the University of St. Thomas (HUE 2023 Valorant Champions), Maryville, and Blinn College.
League of Legends ran through Day 2, with four teams showing up as the decisive Top 4. University of St. Thomas (#1 seed), Illinois State University (#2 seed), University of Mississippi (#3 seed), and Winthrop University (#4 seed and HUE 2023 Champions) progressed to Day 3 for the playoffs.
Playoffs began early Sunday morning in Valorant with best-of-three matchups. Maryville took down the #2 seed, University of St. Thomas, 2-0, to secure their spot in the Grand Finals. St. Clair and Blinn went the distance with St. Clair emerging victorious (2-1) and claiming the last Grand Finals spot.
The Valorant Grand Finals were a close match to call, with St. Clair taking the first game over Maryville 13-7 and Maryville taking Game 2 with a score of 13-10. In the third matchup, the rounds went back and forth until Maryville managed to get a small lead and overtake St. Clair 13-11 to win the 2024 HUE ValorantChampionship title.
Rocket League saw a surprising upset in the West Virginia vs. Maryville semifinals match. #4 seed West Virginia swept #1 seed Maryville 3-0 in their best-of-five matchup to move on to the Grand Finals. Concord and Illinois State played a closer match, with Concord taking it 3-2.
HUE Finals and High School Showdown
In the Grand Finals match, Concord decisively swept West Virginia 4-0, taking home the 2024 HUE Invitational Rocket League Championship. Esports Director for Concord, Austin Clay, remarked, “I am incredibly proud of the team [we’ve] built, and this was the perfect way to kick off our Rocket League season. A big thanks to Harrisburg University for hosting and inviting us to such a prestigious event.”
League of Legends had similar upsets in the semifinals, with #4 seed Winthrop defeating #1 seed University of St. Thomas 2-0 and heading into their second HUE Grand Finals match in a row. #3 seed University of Mississippi took down #2 seed Illinois State 2-1 to head into the Grand Finals match. Winthrop decidedly won over Ole Miss 2-0 to become back-to-back HUE Invitational League of Legends Champions.
Winthrop Head Coach, Connor “Artemis” Doyle, said, “It was special winning back-to-back HUE League Championships. With most schools shuffling around and trying to ‘upgrade,’ we chose instead to keep our roster. There was a clear difference. No one was playing close to the quality of League we were playing, and I’m extremely proud of that.”
Between the collegiate matchups, HUE also played host to a Rocket League high school show match between Biglerville High School and York Academy. The two high schools went head-to-head on the pitch, with Biglerville coming out on top.
HUE Esports Students and Partners
The 2024 HUE Invitational would not have been possible without our remarkable students and partners. The HU students excelled at leading the teams through their matches, making sure the livestream ran efficiently, closely observing the games, and putting out an amazing live broadcast over the three days.
HU Esports Management Instructor, Tom Screech, remarked, “HUE is an integral part of our experiential learning offering here at HU. It’s a chance for the students not only to run a tournament at the University, but also to rub shoulders with and referee some of the top players and coaches in the country. They are also given real-world experience dealing with issues that can occur during a tournament.”
HU students were also the voice of the event, with six students casting the games. Esports BS majors Ayrton Hall (‘24) and Nathan Meyers (‘23) called all the shots in the Rocket League matchups, Caedmon Chatterton (‘25) and John Wire (‘24) cast the Valorant action, and Meldzan Isakovic (‘27) and Vegas Nichols (‘26) guided viewers through the League of Legends matchups. Andrew Trembly (‘25) also played a pivotal role in the broadcast of HUE, serving as Lead Producer for the livestream across all three days.
Student caster Meldzan shared, “Being a caster at HUE was an incredible experience that ignited my passion for esports even more. The journey in esports has always felt like an open road with no end in sight, and casting at HUE has illuminated my path towards my ultimate goal: casting at the League of LegendsWorld Championship.”
Harrisburg University’s industry partners also played a pivotal role in uplifting the HUE experience:
- The presenting partner of HUE Invitational 2024, Intel, provided NUC 11th Gen Beast Canyon PCs for tournament play.
- Zenni Gaming, the official eyewear of HUE Invitational, provided VIP swag bags for the event and provided a promo code to use on their website.
- Spectrum Industries provided the casting desk for the student casters to call all the action from.
- College Esports News (CEN) served as the official media partner for HUE, providing weekend-long coverage on X for the event.
- Utz and Wegmans supported the event through in-kind snacks to keep HUE volunteers and competitors fueled all weekend.
Assistant Director of Esports and Partnerships and HU Alumnus (‘23), Lynzie Wagaman, shared, “HUE would not have been possible without our great students and partners. HUE is always an excellent event, and the inclusion of Intel, Zenni, Spectrum, and CEN truly elevated the experience.”
The 2024 HUE Invitational provided a hands-on learning opportunity for HU students while also serving as a kickoff to the collegiate esports fall season. Congratulations to all of 2024’s HUE Invitational Champions!
Photo credit: Makaya Loo (Soniqs)
Photo credit: Jaida George (’25)
ABOUT HARRISBURG UNIVERSITY
Harrisburg University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and is a private, nonprofit university offering bachelor’s and graduate degree programs in the fields of science, technology, and mathematics. For additional information about the University’s affordable, demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, please call 717.901.5146 or email Connect@HarrisburgU.edu. Stay updated by following Harrisburg University on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook.
