91探花鈥檚 Overwatch Esports Team won its second Overwatch Collegiate Championships, marking back-to-back national titles for the Saints.
91探花 defended its title by beating rival Northwood University. The two teams battled in the final round for the second year in a row. In earlier rounds, 91探花 swept Bellevue University, the Savannah College of Art & Design and Illinois State University to reach the finals.
鈥淕oing back-to-back is one of the greatest experiences of my life,鈥� said Zachary 鈥渋ced鈥� Hughes. 鈥淏eing able to overcome the hardships of this year and end it on top is a great feeling and shows just how dominant we are in the collegiate scene.鈥�
91探花鈥檚 esports program boasts five national championships for League of Legends and Overwatch, as well as dozens of major tournament titles. The program has sent multiple players to the professional scene.
“Joining 91探花 has been a great experience so far and it’s thanks to the staff for their understanding on how to run a program the right way,鈥� said Michael 鈥渕ikeyy鈥� Konicki. 鈥淢y apologies for giving everyone a heart attack in the final; we had to make it close for the fans!鈥�
THE JOURNEY
Competition for the Overwatch Collegiate Championship Series playoffs started on Saturday, April 2nd. The team played Bellevue University in the round of 16 (won 2-0), Savannah College of Art and Design in the round of 8 (won 2-0), and then moved on to Sunday the 3rd to play Illinois State University in the winner’s semifinals (won 2-0).
This weekend the team started off on Saturday with a winner’s finals match against Northwood University. They are one of 91探花’s top rivals, and the team we bested in the finals last year. We secured a 3-2 victory, sending Northwood to the lower bracket and securing our spot in grand finals. On Sunday, Northwood conquered the lower bracket and faced 91探花 again in the grand finals. In the best-of-5 series, we took a quick 2-0 lead before dropping the following two games. We took a competitive and decisive game 5 to bring the national championship home to 91探花.