Links:  Esports Collegiate (ESC)

BOSTON – Taking the conference by storm during its first varsity season, the Northeastern esports program has captured the inaugural Esports Collegiate (ESC) championship in League of Legends as the third-seeded Huskies defeated top-seeded Buffalo, 2-1, on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the victory, Northeastern (29-12-1, 10-1-0 ESC) has secured the conference's automatic bid to the 32-team College League of Legends national championship field, which will be released at a later date. National championship play will take place during select dates in May and June that are yet to be determined.

Comprising Northeastern's ESC championship roster were support Ryan Folz (ask 4 soundcloud), mid laner Jon Gold (Aloneus), jungler Toby Kaufman (Stale Bagel), strategic assistant Jack Weng (Kaito K1D), top laner Brian Yang (FlyingHippo2) and bot laner Jonathan Yeh (D4ZE). The Huskies are led by their head coach and former club team member, Christopher Bravo.
 
Northeastern was one of three ESC co-regular season champions that shared in a 10-1 regular season record alongside Buffalo and Miami (Ohio). Despite their 20-4 map record, the Huskies were relegated to the No. 3 seed by tiebreakers yet avenged their earlier ESC defeat to Miami by knocking out the second-seeded RedHawks, 2-1, during the league semifinals (March 20).
 
Prior to Saturday's ESC championship match, Northeastern had met Buffalo on three prior occasions this season, achieving the 4-3 lead in the series map record. The conference rivals had split two October showdowns inside the ESC qualifier for the ancillary College League of Legends Fall Invitational before NU swept the Bulls, 2-0, during the formal ESC regular season.
 
"Coming into today's match, we expected to encounter challenges," said Bravo. "With all hands on deck, we were able to adapt and overcome across a rocky series. I could not be more proud of our team for their efforts and success at securing a College League of Legends national championship berth."
 
Northeastern started hot during Saturday's championship match against Buffalo, dictating tempo on its way to securing the opening game. After conceding game two, the Huskies rallied to defeat the Bulls during the decisive third game of the match.
 
"We had a really easy first win, but then witnessed a hard-fought loss during the second game," said Kaufman. "Spirits were down, but we got back into our comfort zone and took game three rather convincingly. I am really proud of our team sticking through today's rollercoaster of emotions to secure our spot in the national championship field."
 
Saturday's ESC championship marks the first esports trophy Northeastern has earned since elevating four titles to varsity status in April 2020. Two NU titles currently compete inside the ESC circuit (League of Legends, Overwatch); the Huskies' Overwatch team had entered Saturday ranked second in the ESC standings courtesy of its 9-1 league record.

Northeastern League of Legends  //  2020-21 Season Accolades
• Reached the national quarterfinals of the ancillary College League of Legends Fall Invitational.
• Finished runner-up during the fall 2020 running of the Upsurge Contenders League; advanced to the quarterfinals during the winter 2021 tournament.
• Made the semifinals of the Grand Rapids Rift Clash - Major Tournament.
 
#HowlinHuskies