ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS (January 4, 2023) — The Augustana College Esports team claimed the NECC Emergents Southcentral championship with a three-to-one win over the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State University. The Vikings entered postseason play as the N° 1 seed after completing an impressive undefeated regular season (8-0).
Mason Love, a Computer Science major from Rock Island, helped the six-member Valorant-Blue team claim the victory.
Augustana's esports team is the college's 29th varsity sport and is directed by Joe Loomis. The team, which started at Augustana as a club in 2017, includes fifty students who come from nine countries.
Known for sparking passionate curiosity, Augustana College is an empowering home to explore over ninety areas of study. Augustana's innovative program, Augie Choice, transforms students into global citizens, thinkers, and doers with a $2,000 grant to explore the world, complete an internship, or conduct research with a professor. Augustana students achieve a balance inside and outside of the classroom, ranking top ten in all divisions for Academic All Americans. Transformed to be different, current students and alumni include health-care heroes, Nobel Prize-winners, CEOs, college presidents, and leaders across all continents. The college enrolls 2,500 curious changemakers who get energized by four years as part of a community that reflects the diversity of the United States.
