Viking GG Gazette

Cleveland State University E-sports

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Nung Lian, Gabby Palmer, Nic Smith & Lexi Pewitt
May 04, 2026

4/20-5/4

GLEC 2026 Spring Finals

We’ve got more teams on road trips this week! CSU’s Overwatch Varsity, Super Smash Bros team, and Rocket League Varsity teams head to the GLEC conference in South Bend, Indiana. A win at this conference not only means a first-place trophy, but it also means a trip to the CECC finals in Texas! The teams stayed at another Airbnb and, as always, had a relaxing experience that made winning worth it, featuring more outdoor grilling, a hot tub, and a sauna! 💚

After their second-place win at Kentucky and a lost bid to a conference in Florida, the Overwatch Varsity is raring to win this conference. The team was able to plan their team strategy over a day of chilling in the hot tub and a night of grilling at the Airbnb. Game day came along, and our team was ready to sweep the competition, subbing in Junior “CptJunior” Ramos to secure their first-place victory in the conference! Which means, for the first time in Overwatch history at CSU, we are going to Texas! Congratulations to our students, and we’re looking forward to obtaining our first CECC trophy! 🎮

Much strategy and deliberation took place at the Airbnb pool table, as our four Rocket League players prepared for the GLEC conference. After getting knocked out of the upper bracket, our team made quick work of the lower bracket, securing their place in the finals and in the race for first place. The crowd was at its highest energy during this match, as Rocket League Varsity took home 2nd place! Congratulations to our players for another amazing season. We are so proud of you! 💚

If you spent time looking around the GLEC Airbnb, you would surely find at least one of our Smash bros players in a state of complete zen (my advice is to check the sauna or the treehouse). CSU pulled up to the lan with cardboard signs featuring each Smash player's head, ready to take home another GLEC win. The smash arena was brimming with energy the whole day, as our players locked in their hardest and took home the trophy for third place! Congratulations to our smash bros teams, and thanks for always bringing the most hype matches to our LANs! 💚

A new tradition was implemented in the GLEC conference this year: the academic all-conference team award, awarded to students of the highest academic excellence across all the programs! We are so proud of both our all-star and academic all-star players, who reach above and beyond not just on the game but also in their academic pursuits. Not only did CSU secure 6 all-star awards, but our program also secured the one and only, the top dog, the big cheese award… The best program of the year award! Congratulations to PJ Farrell and Lexi Pewitt for their tireless work, and to the BEST program ever! 💚

Written by Gabby Palmer

End of Season Team Banquet

On April 26th, CSU’s Esports team held its annual end-of-season banquet at Lakewood Park. Every year, CSU throws a team get-together to celebrate the players, an incredible season, and the team as a whole. At the event, Director of Esports PJ Farrell grilled up some delicious food while the team had a blast playing soccer, kickball and badminton. On top of the fun sports, the team also had an incredible time hanging out and chatting about a successful season, while also celebrating and saying farewell to this semester’s graduates. The team looks forward to this event every year as it marks a bittersweet ending to a hard-fought season. GO VIKES!💚

Written by Lexi Pewitt

Richmond Heights High School Visits CSU Esports

On Friday, April 24th, a group of students from Richmond Heights High School came to visit CSU. The visit was in collaboration with the Greater Cleveland Partnership and Lakewood’s Ethlete Lab Academy to educate students on how to become esports managers and directors. They received a presentation by PJ Farrell, college credits as part of an internship, a tour of the facility, and lunch provided by CSU. Thank you so much for coming, Richmond Heights High School!💚 

Written by Nic Smith

CSU’s League of Legends Team Qualifies for NECC Nationals

Pictured left to right: Reid L. (TOPDOG655), Tim S. (HisBeardsWeird), Matt N. (Skrub McLord), Aidan P. (FlyingRedTiger), and Dylan S. (Shepherd).

The League of Legends team’s NECC season is reaching an exciting conclusion this Thursday. This year, the team qualified for Division 3 nationals, and their run is going strong. They took decisive 2-0 victories against both Illinois Institute of Technology and The University of Alabama in Huntsville. Now, they enter the finals against Washington University in St. Louis on the 7th. We are immensely proud of the team’s performance this year and hope to see them bring home the gold on Thursday. Make sure to tune in and give them your support! 🎮

Written by Nic Smith

Graduate Spotlight

Cole Pochedley, "Alizu," Overwatch

Meet Cole Pochedley, aka “Alizu”, a senior Computer Science major hailing from Brook Park, Ohio, and player for both the Varsity Overwatch and Academy Overwatch teams. For our academy team, Cole is a tank player who mains Wrecking Ball, and serves as one of the main IGL’s for the team, frequently leading the academy to victory with his incredible ability to strategize and clutch under pressure. His favorite memories on the esports team are traveling to different LAN events to compete in tournaments with his teammates. Outside of the game, Cole enjoys riding roller coasters, playing video games, and spending time with his dog. He also plans on finding work within the IT industry. As an amazing friend and irreplaceable teammate, Cole will be dearly missed by the entire program, though we’ll see him anytime we go to Cedar Point, and we all wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors! 💚

Written by Gabby Palmer

New Player Spotlight

Dylan Schroedel, "Shepherd," League of Legends

Meet Dylan Schroedel, aka “Shepherd”, our awesome support player for Cleveland State University's Varsity League of Legends team. Dylan is a devoted Christian who originates from Beavercreek, Ohio, and came to CSU as a junior to further pursue his interests in psychology and therapy. It is without a doubt that our league team has had a tough semester, but Dylan recalls his favorite moment as our incredible reverse sweep victory against Boston University in the NECC playoff finals. Dylan can vouch for a wonderful first semester at CSU as he and Reid “TOPDOG655” are good friends who are able to continue playing competitively together. We hope Dylan can continue to make many more memories with us! 💚

Written by Nung Lian

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 4/20-5/4, Schedule from 5/4-5/18

Check @CSUVikes_GG on Twitter/X for updates!

League of Legends

NECC Nationals

  • 4/23 - CSU’s League of Legends team wins 2-0 against the Illinois Institute of Technology

  • 4/30 - CSU’s League of Legends team takes a 2-0 win against the University of Alabama, Huntsville

Smash Ultimate

Nothing for now!

Overwatch Varsity

Nothing for now!

Overwatch Academy

Nothing for now!

Rocket League

Nothing for now!

Valorant Varsity

Nothing for now!

Valorant Academy

Nothing for now!

Street Fighter 6

ECAC Current Records

Player

Win:Loss

Nabs

2-5

Sploosh

4-3

Livy

4-3

Lobs

3-4

Ozul_Majin

5-2

CFGC Current Records

Player

Win:Loss

Nabs

6-12

Sploosh

7-11

Livy

3-5

Lobs

12-11

Ozul_Majin

4-8

Upcoming Events

Nothing for now!

-gg! ✌️