ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA – Winthrop University’s Esports League of Legends (LOL) team will travel to Los Angeles, California, next month to defend its title in the 2022 College League of Legends Championship. Winthrop took the 2021 title with a 3-1 win over Maryland.
The Winthrop Eagles are one of only eight teams vying for the championship, which is scheduled for June 9-12.
The Eagles earned their spot in the Final Eight with a 2-1 win over the University of Colorado – Boulder and will take on Maryville University on Thursday, June 9, at 2 p.m. (PDT). Matches will be streamed by LCS via Twitch and YouTube.
In addition to Winthrop and Maryville, the other six programs competing are the University of St. Thomas, Western University, Bay State College, Converse College and University of California - Irvine.
Members of the Eagles’ LOL team are: Jake "Madbud" Riley; Jacob "FrostForest" Chan; Yasin "Avano" Yildiz; Zack "ZKG" Koslow; Kenji "Srkenji" Kaneko; and Jared "Paralisys" Brewer.
Coach Josh Sides returns
Josh Sides has returned to Winthrop as the head Esports coach.
“I appreciate the support of the Winthrop community and of the leadership of the university and their commitment to the success of our Esports program,” Sides said. “I feel optimistic about the bright future of Esports at Winthrop, and I can't wait to get back to work with the team.”
Chuck Rey, interim athletics director, praised Sides leadership and the positive impact he has had on the young program. “Winthrop Esports is a national championship program because of Josh Sides. He is not only a pioneer and visionary, but he has the uncanny ability to recognize and recruit elite student-athletes that will grow at Winthrop and move on to professional Esports careers. I am excited for Josh, the student-athletes, this program and the commitment Winthrop is making to Esports,” said Rey.
You can follow the team via www.winthropeagles.com or on Twitter at @WinthropEsports.
