4/6-4/20

Valorant Varsity Takes Second Place at the Midwest Esports Conference

Cleveland State Esports’ Valorant team qualified for the Mid-Atlantic Esports Conference Finals (MEC) the weekend of April 5th. After a brief five-hour drive to Lisle, Illinois, CSU came in as a strong fourth seed and had to battle it out against the Briar Cliff Chargers. After an intense match, CSU was knocked into lower semi-finals.

Easter came with a heated semi-final as CSU took a nice win against Missouri Baptist's Spartans, which resulted in a convincing but hard-fought 2-0. This meant CSU was going to face Columbia College in the grand finals. CSU started off cold as Columbia took map 1 from CSU, but the Vikings bounced back with a convincing second map. After a close game three, CSU finished in second place.

The team had performed great and did not go down without a fight! Their second-place finish is a major accomplishment and truly shows off their talent, resilience, and teamwork. They have a lot to take away from this experience and are excited to build on that success as they prepare for the upcoming CECC in Texas this May. 💚🎮

Written by Nung Lian

April Fools!

April did not start out strong for the CSU esports program, as we discovered at the beginning of the month that we would be losing our very own Scottie “Dr. Kirb” Wade. After recently acquiring his PhD in Ornithology, he was recently caught in a dispute with his colleague Johnny “Yashi” Rogers, a master in paleontology, the two arguing over which study was better. Realizing a difference of opinion, Dr. Kirb decided to take his education elsewhere to Shawnee State, where Adam “Shoes” Schuler plans to nourish Kirb's knowledge and talent. In exchange, Schuler plans on sending us three players, who will be playing Valorant, Overwatch and Rocket league respectfully. Playing Valorant, we have Jett Bezos, Shaquille O’Heal for Overwatch, and on Rocket League, we have ILikeBigBoostAndCannotLie! We are devastated to lose Scottie, but we wish him the best of luck at Shawnee State, and miles of bird sanctuary. Welcome to our new Valorant, Overwatch and Rocket league carries- recruits! (April fools…)

Written by Gabby Palmer

For More CSU Esports News, Click Here!

Graduate Spotlight

Bader Al Bader, "Devil," League of Legends

Meet Bader Al Bader, aka “Devil”, a Mechanical Engineering major on CSU’s League of Legends team. He mains Shaco, and his focus is support and utilizing the Jungle during games. His favorite memory with the team is getting 2nd at GLEC and beating Manchester after a particularly intense match against them. Once he graduates, Bader intends to return to his home country of Saudi Arabia and try to find work in an industrial city, possibly even starting his own business. His hobbies include playing soccer, fishing and video editing. We thank Bader for all he’s contributed to the League of Legends team during his time at CSU and hope he is successful in his future ventures! 💚

Written by Nic Smith

New Player Spotlight

Jacob Tamayo-Ospina, "Exsick," Valorant Academy

Meet Jacob Tamayo-Ospina, aka “Exsick”, a first-year sports and entertainment management major here at CSU. Born in Rionegro, Colombia, and raised in Naples, Florida, Jacob plays dive entry duelist for CSU’s Valorant Academy team. Jacob also plans to participate in the production side of esports. Having played as a child, Jacob is a huge fan of football and has been a Cleveland Browns fan since he was 6 years old. Jacob is also a fan of fútbol, and plans on attending the World Series games coming to the US (and if he can't make it, he promises to host the watch party!). Jacob is eager to become the best and promises to surpass his limits and expectations. We believe in you, Jacob!💚

Written by Gabby Palmer

Interested in Joining Cleveland State’s D1 Varsity Esports Team?

CSU Esports is a D1 Varsity program offering the perfect mix of intense competition and unforgettable team experiences. Between thrilling tournaments, exciting team activities, and valuable volunteer events, this is your chance to be part of something extraordinary!

Ready to take your game to the next level and create lasting memories? Fill out our recruitment questionnaire below and start your CSU Esports journey for the Fall 2025 season!

Scoreboard & Upcoming Schedule

Scores from 4/6-4/20, Schedule from 4/20-5/4

Check @CSUVikes_GG on Twitter/X for updates!

League of Legends

NECC Playoffs

• 4/9 - CSU’s League of Legends team wins 2-1 against Purdue University, Northwest

• 4/16 - CSU’s League of Legends team takes a 3-2 win against Boston University

Smash Ultimate

Nothing for now!

Overwatch Varsity

Nothing for now!

Overwatch Academy

NACE

• 4/9 - CSU’s Overwatch Academy team wins 3-0 against the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology

Rocket League

Nothing for now!

Valorant Varsity

Nothing for now!

Valorant Academy

NACE

• 4/8 - CSU’s Valorant Academy team loses 1-2 against the University of North Carolina, Greensboro

Street Fighter 6

ECAC Current Records

CFGC Current Records

Upcoming Events

-gg! ✌️