Manchester esports Smash wins 3rd straight Great Lakes championship
For the third time in a row, Manchester University Esports Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team brought home the Great Lakes Esports Conference (@GLEC_GG) championship.
Manchester Smash travelled to Game Arena in Hilliard, Ohio, as the #2 seed for the GLEC Playoff tournament. They beat Trine and the University of Saint Francis before facing #1 seed Valparaiso in the finals on Saturday, April 2.
The championship best of five series lasted an exhausting three and a half hours, with sophomore August Elliot in the clutch for a 3-2 final score.
“I am extremely proud of this team for all the hard work they have put in this year. There are always Smash players in the lab refining combos or grinding online matches to make themselves better,” said Garrett "toweroftoast" Schieferstein, director of esports at Manchester.
“Their dedication to working outside of practice is why they have achieved what they have. Three championships in a row is something that we aimed for,” he said. We knew it was going to be tough as we lost to Valpo earlier in the season, but I know that our biggest strength is adapting and learning the longer a match goes on. That’s why we were able to come back and beat Valpo in the finals.”
For the last matchup of the tournament, the Spartans had to face off against the only team able to beat them so far in GLEC.
“Thank you to the whole team, staff, and student assistants. Special thank you to seniors Alex Stefanatos and Bryce Morales. Your leadership and personalities will be missed next year. I’m glad we were able to give you guys one last championship,” Schieferstein said.
Follow Manchester Esports on Twitter at @MU_esport. To learn more about the program, contact esports@manchester.edu.
Scholarships are available for League of Legends, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros., Fortnite, Overwatch and Valorant.
Smash Roster
- James Walsh, Sophomore, Peru, IN
- Collin Eastman, Sophomore, Kewanee, IL
- August Elliott, Sophomore, Wabash, IN
- Alex Stefanatos, Senior, North Manchester, IN
- Bryce Morales, Senior, Estero, FL
- Savion Hunter, Sophomore, Phenix City, AL
- Mitch Manns, First Year, North Manchester, IN
- Josh Lee, First Year, Wyandotte, MI
- Trent Delliquadri, First Year, Chesterton, IN
- Duncan Burns, First Year, Walkerton, IN
Recap
Manchester Smash travelled to the Game Arena in Hilliard, Ohio, as the #2 seed for the GLEC Playoff tournament. The Spartans had dropped only one game all season heading to the tournament to #1 seed Valparaiso.
The Spartans had a first-round matchup against #7 Trine, an opponent that had played close every year in the playoffs. Sophomore James Walsh led the Spartans to a clean 2-0 victory over the Thunder.
In round two the Spartans took on #6 University of Saint Francis. Sophomore August Elliot dominated the Cougars, taking the whole second game himself.
For the last matchup of the tournament, the Spartans had to face off against the only team able to beat them so far in GLEC. The format would be a best of five rather than the previous best of three.
Valpo started the match with a win in game one. The Spartans were able to lock in and take the next two games, giving them a 2-1 lead in the matchup and pushing them to tournament point. Valpo rallied back and took game four, meaning that the finals would go to the storied game five.
Sophomore James Walsh got off to a very hot start taking six of Valpo’s nine stocks. All day, Valpo’s anchor was tough to get through. Valpo managed to take down Walsh and fellow sophomore Collin Eastman while only dropping one stock.
Last up for the Spartans was August Elliott. He had been clutch for the Spartans all season and it did not stop in game five. Elliott cleaned up Valpo’s last remaining two stocks securing the championship as the crowd roared.
In total, the championship best of five series lasted an exhausting three and a half hours. This win gave the Spartans their third consecutive GLEC Super Smash Bros Conference title.