UPDATE: Redbird Esports beat Maryville May 19 in the Overwatch Collegiate Championship Grand Finals to complete the sweep of Overwatch collegiate national championships.
Read more about the team’s successful spring season in the following article originally published May 16:
Fresh off three inaugural Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) titles, the Redbird Esports program continues to rack up championship trophies this spring.
The Overwatch team has won three national tournament titles over the past month, and the Redbirds can secure one more championship this weekend when they compete in the Overwatch Collegiate Championship tournament, hosted by the game’s publisher Blizzard Entertainment.
Director of Redbird Esports David Kirk, M.S. ’16, said he is “incredibly proud” of what Overwatch head coach Parker Lewis and the team have accomplished.
“Parker had a tall task of recruiting an entirely new roster during his first semester with us last fall,” Kirk said. “Many of the other collegiate Overwatch teams have been playing and practicing together for several months longer than our team, so most polls had us in the fifth- to sixth-place range. The team has won three of four of the top collegiate Overwatch tournaments so far, beating all of the top programs in the country.”
Redbird Esports began play in the double-elimination Championship bracket of the Overwatch Collegiate Championship last weekend with a 3-0 win over the University of California, Irvine before falling, 3-1, to Maryville University, dropping Illinois State into the lower bracket. The Redbirds then beat Arizona State University, 3-0, and they will face Fisher College Friday, May 17, at 7 p.m. Illinois State must win four more matches to qualify for the grand finals on Sunday at 2:30 p.m., streamed live on Twitch.
“While we fell to the lower bracket after a chaotic week for the students due to finals and travel, I fully expect the Redbirds to bounce back and win this weekend,” Kirk said.
The Redbirds have already won three Overwatch national tournament titles this season, including the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Starleague Overwatch 2 Varsity Grand Finals (April 27 in Winter Park, Florida), the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) Overwatch Nationals Legend’s Division Grand Finals (May 5), and the Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup (CECC) Grand Finals (May 5 in Arlington, Texas).
Redbird Esports also won all three MVC championships in Overwatch, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. during the inaugural tournament hosted by Illinois State April 20. The Redbirds were victorious in both the MVC Overwatch and Rocket League finals against Bradley University and Southern Illinois University, respectively. Those teams finished undefeated throughout the entire regular season and playoff run. Redbird Esports also earned the Super Smash Bros. title, defeating Missouri State University.
Keep up with Illinois State’s progress in the Overwatch Collegiate Championship tournament by following @Redbird_Esports on X (formerly Twitter).
