Lackawanna College Esports Team to Participate in Maui Esports Invitational
The Lackawanna College Rocket League team will participate in the first-ever Maui Esports Invitational from November 14 to 20. Various stages of the tournament will be broadcast on the official Rocket League Twitch channel at twitch.tv/rocketleague and ESPNU, with the finals set for broadcast on ESPN2.
Lackawanna joins an impressive list of Division I esports programs in what is expected to become an annual event. The Falcons will have the opportunity to compete against teams including the University of Indiana, the University of Alabama, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Stanford University, Purdue University, Maryville University, Boise State University, the University of Texas, and more.
“We are absolutely thrilled to be invited to the first-ever Maui Esports Invitational which will give our two-year-old program a well-deserved place in the national spotlight,” Esports Program Administrator Teddy Delaney said. “Our Rocket League team has been a force to be reckoned within league play, and we welcome the opportunity to play other top tier programs in the country.”
Rocket League, a free-to-play esports title combining the traditional aspects of soccer with the blistering speed of rocket-powered vehicles, has more than two million followers on its official Twitch channel. More than 333,000 broadcast hours were watched during the 2019 College Rocket League finals, and the 2020 RLCS Season X Fall Regional attracted the attention of 178,354 viewers at its peak. The esports title generated more than $15 million in scholarships for student-athletes around the globe in 2018.
Tournament organizers promise to deliver a completely remote tournament which guarantees the safety of students and staff while producing a high-quality, professional broadcast.
Lackawanna College launched its esports program in the Fall 2018 semester. The College currently participates in six esports titles – Rocket League, Overwatch, League of Legends, Valorant, Fortnite, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
The Falcons’ Rocket League team is currently 4-1 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE), and the team is considered a contender for the league’s national title for the Fall 2020 semester. Team members include Dominic “Domosaur” Clapper, of Archbald, Pa.; Matt “JKfoshizzle” Kelly, of Jenkintown, Pa.; and Keenan “Fesbot” Lewis, of Wyoming, Pa. The team is coached by Daniel “diggs” Boschi, of Bethlehem, Pa.
Follow the Lackawanna College esports program across all of its titles at lackawannafalcons.com and twitch.tv/lackawannaedu.