The entire weekend’s worth of collegiate League of Legends competition came to a head today as the Canadian underdogs from the University of Western Ontario faced off against 1st-seed Maryville University for the glory of becoming the 2019 College Championship.
UWO qualified for the finals thanks to a stunning comeback win against the defending champions from UCI on Saturday.
Maryville, on the other hand, came into Championship Sunday on the large wave of momentum that has been built up over the course of the elimination bracket. The 2017 College Champions looked extremely strong, almost undefeatable throughout the entire competition this weekend.
That slight hope that the boys from western Ontario would be able to upset the expectations of the entire audience was quickly squashed, however, and Maryville took the reigns of the matchup and ran away with everything.
Congratulations to our friends @MaryvilleGG on reclaiming the throne today as they are your 2019 League of Legends Collegiate Champions.#MUWIN #LoLCC #CreatingChampions pic.twitter.com/8OGj09bPm3
— H4X (@H4Xgg) May 26, 2019
The quick 3-0 sweep by Maryville University looks pretty brutal on paper, but there was some great defensive play by UWO. This was especially on display in Game 3, where UWO managed to hold their own against the dominant Maryville until the mid-to-late game when their grip would slip and they’d lose it all.
Part of the joy in the College Championship tournament and collegiate LoL scene as a whole is the comradery. Unlike pro players, collegiate players are doing this for the love, for the glory, and for their education. This translates into extremely heart-warming support across the board between all those involved.
After the fact, Maryville University Senior Andrew “ckg” Smith won the MVP of the Finals, after a dominant performance in the jungle for the championship squad. Insanely, CKG didn’t give up a single death in the entire Grand Finals best-of-five, and he had upwards of 80% kill participation in the final game.
“We all approached it with the mindset of earning it, every day,” said Maryville University Head Coach Tanner “Zeu” Deegan, who wins his first LAN event as a Coach.
With the victory, Maryville University qualifies for the international League of Legends collegiate tournament to be held in China later this year.
