HARRISBURG, PA – On Nov. 23, 2024, the Harrisburg University Storm Rocket League and VALORANT varsity rosters traveled to Fredericksburg, Virginia, to compete in MAEC Clash, a mid-Atlantic regional collegiate esports tournament organized by Unified Collegiate. In a remarkable showcase of esports excellence and competitive resilience, both teams took home their respective championship titles.
The event, hosted at the University of Mary Washington, saw competing rosters in three different titles – Rocket League, VALORANT, and Overwatch 2 – from Glennville State University, Penn State University, Radford University, University of Mary Washington (UMW), Virginia Wesleyan University, and Harrisburg University.
After a successful run in the Unified MAEC competitive season, every team from the region was invited to participate in this LAN event. At the tournament, the HU Storm Rocket League team had an undefeated run before finally facing Radford University again in the finals, where HU had a clean 3-0 sweep in their best-of-five championship match.
“The MAEC Clash was a great experience for us,” said Rocket League Head Coach, Nick Sutton. “Although we faced some of the same competitors from the regular season, it was exciting to see everyone competing in-person. The energy is always different at a LAN tournament – in my opinion, events like this are the highlight of collegiate esports. Being able to get another regional win was fantastic and the team performed very well. I am truly thankful that we get to provide our HU Storm varsity players with these kinds of experiences.”
The VALORANT competition ran alongside Rocket League, with the finals stretching into the second day of the event. Over the course of the competition, HU’s VALORANT team did not lose a single match, paving the way for them to win the entire competition. Following the conclusion of the playoffs, Harrisburg University triumphed over University of Mary Washington with relative ease in the semi-finals and then went on to sweep Radford University in the championship game, ultimately bringing home the trophy.
Iyen Raju, VALORANT player and Head Coach, said: “Competing in the mid-Atlantic VALORANT tournament was exciting and showed how hard our team has been working; our commitment and planning paid off. In addition to the satisfaction of winning, the students learned important lessons about how to communicate, how to handle stress, and how to work together. Everyone who was there felt a sense of pride and grew as players and teammates.”
Congratulations to each and every Harrisburg University esports trailblazer who helped to bring home this well-earned win!
Interested in starting your own esports career as a player, coach, broadcaster, or event organizer? Visit HarrisburgU.edu for more information about Harrisburg University’s standard-setting varsity esports program in Pennsylvania or our unique Esports Management, Production, and Performance bachelor’s degree.
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