1/26-2/9

Afterburner 2026

Afterburner was the first trip for CSU’s Smash Ultimate team this past January and is considered a major competition. The event hosted over 400 players at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. 

The event also hosted a best-of-three, double-elimination collegiate crews event. Cleveland State lost to Purdue in game 3 with each team down to their last stock. Similarly, in consolation, Cleveland State lost to Akron in game 3 with each team down to their last stock. The team finished 4th, but still took home a trophy! 

In singles, Victor "Dreamless" Marcelo and Scottie "Dr. Kirb" Wade both made it out of their respective groups. Dreamless finished 97th, and Dr. Kirb had the best run of his career, qualifying top 32 for the first time at a major in CSU's history. He finished 17th overall, placing higher than every college player who attended. Congrats Scottie! 💚

Written by Pj Farrell.

CSU Esports Goes Go-Karting

Written by Gabby Palmer

CSU’s Rocket League Team Gets Promoted to Division One

Our Varsity Rocket League team has been dominating the competitive scene and stacking wins for years now, but now they're making history as they have just been promoted to NECC Division 1! The team faced Southeastern Oklahoma State (3-2) and BPCU Esports (3-1), earning two consecutive wins and placing them in NECC Division One for the first time in program history! After receiving their rings in 2025 for being national champs in Division 3, it's time to continue their streak to secure their win as Division One national champions! Good luck this season, team. We are so proud of you!

Written by Gabby Palmer

Dr. Kirb Wins Rootown

Written by Nic Smith

Baldwin Wallace Vs. Cleveland State — Smash Ultimate

On January 23rd, Baldwin Wallace University’s Smash Ultimate Esports team came by CSU’s lab to play a GLEC game in person. Everyone had a blast playing some challenging matchups and engaging in great conversation. The night ended with CSU taking a 2-0 victory! 🎮

Thank you, Baldwin Wallace University, for joining us and playing some great games! 💛

Written by Lexi Pewitt

CSU Esports’ 24-Hour Stream for Giving Day

On February 14th at 8 pm, Cleveland State Esports will be hosting our annual 24-hour stream for Giving Day! Be sure to tune in for some great content, sweet donation prizes, and tons of fun with CSU’s Esports team! 💚🎮

Helheim 2026

With over 120 players and 13 colleges already registered, Helheim will be the first Super Regional at Cleveland State for Smash Ultimate. This will be the first time the tournament has been hosted in Northeast Ohio. The tournament will bring in over a dozen colleges, including Ohio State and Michigan State, as well as over 200 players from the region.

Huge planning has gone into this event from Julien "Potatoblu" Medina and Scottie "Dr. Kirb" Wade.

The event will take place over 2 days on March 28-29. Use the QR code in the flyer above to sign up! You won’t want to miss this! 🎮💚

Esports Ohio Regional Championship

Mark your calendars! CSU Esports will be hosting Esports Ohio Regionals on February 21st and 22nd! Join us to watch high schools from Northeast Ohio compete for the championship title! 🎮

For More CSU Esports News, Click Here!

Coach Spotlight

Austin Cioce, "Saucetin," Street Fighter

Meet Austin Cioce, aka “Saucetin”, the Head Coach of CSU’s prestigious fighting team, and this past December, we had the privilege of interviewing him so that everyone can get to know a little more about the amazing work he does for our players!

GABBY: Tell us what some of your hobbies and interests are outside of gaming?

AUSTIN: Most of my days are spent with the team practicing Street Fighter. On the off chance I have free time, I'm painting, writing, or cooking! 

GABBY: Tell us about your position on the team and your strategies for coaching the players!

AUSTIN: Right now, I am the Head Coach of CSU's fighting game team, which is currently focused on the Street Fighter series. 

My approach to teaching our players starts with a wide range of game theory, logic-based decision-making, and life habits that compound into long-term results. My goal is to not only produce strong players but also strong people who can apply the skills they learn in the lab to greater aspects of their lives. That's a long-winded way of saying that you'll find me doing lectures with the team, event organizing, and networking with local talent to bring the best to CSU's esports. 

GABBY: That’s amazing! Do you have a favorite esports memory or achievement?

AUSTIN: A favorite moment or achievement? Let me preface that I've been competing in fighting games for a long 15+ years. It's been a journey filled with ups and downs, and while winning is great (like, really great), it's not exactly the most memorable to me. 

If I'm being honest, my medals at home don't hold their weight in gold when compared to the memories of the friends who shared in my journey of competition. Looking back, our region's history is deeply connected to the people who passionately joined forces to build something beautiful. Being a part of that legacy now and contributing to growing the next generation of players, really rings true to my biggest achievement so far. 

“I love my team!”

Thank you so much to Coach Austin for taking the time to let us into the world of coaching and his life. It was such a pleasure to get to know more about Coach Austin, and we wish him the best of luck in this upcoming season! 💚

Written by Gabby Palmer

New Player Spotlight

Reid Lake, "TOPDOG655," League of Legends

Meet Reid Lake, aka “TOPDOG655”. Reid is a freshman accounting major from Beavercreek, Ohio. He plays top-lane League of Legends for the Varsity program, playing characters including Zaahen, Dr. Mundo, and Mordekaiser. Some of his hobbies include gaming with his friends and doing a little cooking when he has free time. His favorite esports moment is when he backdoored while playing Dr. Mundo at the Game Arena, securing a win off that game. He also cherishes the memory of placing 2nd place in the GLECC tournament. We’re glad to have Reid, and we look forward to some more insane plays from TOPDOG655 this semester! 💚

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 1/26-2/9, Schedule from 2/9-2/23

Check @CSUVikes_GG on Twitter/X for updates!

League of Legends

NECC (Placements)

• 1/29 - CSU’s League of Legends team loses 0-1 against the University of Florida

• 1/29 - CSU’s League of Legends team takes a 0-1 loss against Northern Kentucky University

NACE

• 1/27 - CSU’s League of Legends team loses 0-2 against the University of Missouri

• 2/3 - CSU’s League of Legends team takes a 0-2 loss against Western Kentucky University

Upcoming Schedule

Smash Ultimate

NACE

• 2/5 - CSU’s Smash Ultimate team wins 2-0 against Miami University

GLEC

• 1/23 - CSU’s Smash Ultimate team wins 2-0 against Baldwin Wallace University

• 2/2 - CSU’s Smash Ultimate team takes a 2-0 win against Spring Arbor University

Upcoming Schedule

Overwatch Varsity

NACE

• 1/26 - CSU’s Overwatch Varsity team wins 3-0 against the University of Missouri

• 2/2 - CSU’s Overwatch Varsity team takes a 3-0 win against Western Kentucky University

GLEC

• 1/23 - CSU’s Overwatch Varsity team loses 2-3 against Baldwin Wallace University

• 2/6 - CSU’s Overwatch Varsity team takes a 3-0 win against Muskingum University

Upcoming Schedule

Overwatch Academy

NECC (Placements)

• 1/30 - CSU’s Overwatch Academy team wins 2-0 against Grand View University

• 1/30 - CSU’s Overwatch Academy team takes a 2-1 win against Purdue University

Rocket League

NACE

• 2/6 - CSU’s Rocket League team takes a 3-1 win against Western Kentucky University

GLEC

• 1/23 - CSU’s Rocket League team wins 4-0 against Illinois Wesleyan University

• 2/6 - CSU’s Rocket League team takes a 4-0 win against Muskingum University

NECC (Placements)

• 1/28 - CSU’s Rocket League team wins 3-2 against Southeastern Oklahoma State University

• 1/28 - CSU’s Rocket League team takes a 3-1 win against Brewton-Parker University

Upcoming Schedule

Valorant Varsity

NACE

• 1/28 - CSU’s Valorant Varsity team loses 0-2 against the University of Missouri

• 2/4 - CSU’s Valorant Varsity team takes a 2-1 win against Western Kentucky University

Upcoming Schedule

Valorant Academy

Nothing for now!

Street Fighter 6

ECAC Current Records

CFGC Current Records

Upcoming Events

-gg! ✌️