Of the hundreds of collegiate esports teams in the United States, one school from Ohio had one of the most exciting weekends of all from October 18-20.
Located just an hour outside of Cleveland, Akron University has been putting its namesake city on the map for years through esports. Dominating games from Rocket League to Fortnite, their teams have been leading the collegiate scene.
This past weekend was one for the Akron records, as two of its teams took home championship titles in both Rocket League and Rainbow 6 Siege.
Zips Rainbow 6 Wins Butler Inivitational
The Zips made their Rainbow 6 run at the Butler Invitational, hosted by Butler University in Indiana. The team of Jett ‘JettCon’ Conley, Joshua ‘Jobuu’ Bustamante, Rowan ‘Xhosa’ Steyn, and Caleb ‘Cyel’ D. took home their share of $4,000, only dropping two maps across the whole weekend. The team also boasts an impressive undefeated record in Playfly College Esports Rainbow 6 Siege Open Premier, as they continue to sweep the ranks nationwide.
We had a chance to sit down with team member Xhosa, who has been with Akron Esports since Fall 2022. Xhosa said he enjoyed the LAN and all the hard work put into it, but that it wasn’t all fun and games. “Teamwise, that was probably the most problem-solving we’ve done, and focused on adapting instead of going through the motions,” he said. “Fortunately, we played well and things went our way!”
Moving forward, Xhosa said that the team is excited and gearing up for their other Rainbow 6 leagues: MidWest R6, RallyCry, NECC, PlayFly, and CR6. He also sent a thank-you to the team at Akron, including coaches Hunter and Nate for allowing them to have such opportunities.
“I’d love to say thank you to everyone at Akron, specifically Nate and Hunter, for allowing us to do what we do and supporting us through everything,” said Xhosa.
Akron Esports Rocket League wins CRL Open 3
Back home in Akron, Ohio, the Rocket League team was busy winning CRL Open #3 without dropping a single game. This first-place win earned the team $1,500 and helped their climb to the top 8 teams for the CRL championships in November. The team consisted of Brendan ‘Patty’ Sullivan, Shawn ‘Bullzzeye’ Bailey, and Logan ‘Fiv3Up’ S.
Akron is no stranger to the CRL stage, having won four titles previously in Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Fall 2019, and Spring 2019. Despite that, it’s been three years since they saw a main event win on the CRL stage. This open-stage win was the “RETURN OF THE KINGS” as touted by the official Rocket League Esports X (formerly Twitter) page, and marked a turn in the tides for the former champions.
Patty has been with Akron Rocket League for three years and said this win was “a surprise for sure, but a welcome one. I’m proud of the boys for sticking through the long days and earning the win. We obviously still have plenty to work on, but it was very nice to see some early results from our hard work.” He adds that there is still one CRL Open to go, and multiple other leagues that the team is excited for.
“I think that if we can continue this form we will have incredible chances at taking home more titles for the program,” said Patty.
Patty also sent a shout-out to the program and coach Hunter, saying, “He fuels up the team for each big tournament and gets us in the right headspace to play at our best.”
With an exciting weekend behind them, Akron returns to the battlefield nightly to compete in the Esports Collegiate Conference (ESC), Playfly College Esports, and another CRL Open this upcoming weekend, among other title-centric leagues. The team is already making strides towards a great season, and we at CEN are excited to see more of them moving forward.
