Maryville University’s Overwatch Esports Team won the Overwatch Collegiate Championships, claiming its first national title.

Maryville beat Northwood University in the final round, following a grueling best-of-five series that came down to the final match. Maryville hadn’t beat Northwood all season in any other competition, and they were favorites to win the championship going into the weekend.

In earlier rounds, Maryville had victories against University of Washington, University of Utah and the University of California, San Diego. Those three wins advanced the team to the semifinals where they took on the University of California, Irvine, and swept them 3-0 for the spot in the finals against Northwood.

“I’m proud of our esports student-athletes for everything they put into this championship,” said Andrew “CKG” Smith, assistant director of esports and head coach for Maryville’s Overwatch Esports Team. “They put the effort in every day to succeed and, in the end, that’s what made the difference. We thank Maryville and all the staff that have worked hard to support us and help us continue doing what we do, especially amidst the pandemic.”

Maryville’s Overwatch Esports Team was founded in 2018. The team competed in its first national championship in 2019 and placed third. Last year, the season was delayed for several months because of the pandemic, with playoffs completed during the summer. The team took second to Harrisburg University despite the changes to the season.

“After placing third our first year, and then losing in the finals last year, winning this one means a lot to me,” said Anthony “Mac” Mcintosh, one of the team’s founding members. “This year, our team grew a lot outside of the game and it showed. After this win, Maryville has established yet another collegiate esports dynasty.”

The Overwatch national championship joins the three League of Legends titles that the Maryville Esports Program has garnered since the program began. If the League of Legends Esports Team wins the national championship again this year, Maryville will be the first school to hold both titles at the same time.

Thank you USC Annenberg Media and eFuse for your coverage of this good news!