(Kansas City, MO – April 27, 2021) –The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) and the North America Scholastic Esports Federation (NASEF) concluded their spring seasons this past weekend via a three-day event hosted and broadcasted by Skillshot Media in partnership with Twitch Student. Additional support was provided by partners Microsoft, HyperX, eHire, and Queens Gaming Collective.

Competition was hosted across six different game titles for the event: Madden, FIFA, Rocket League, Hearthstone, CSGO, and Fortnite. With the help of host Lauren “GlitterXplosion” Laracuente, accompanied by casters Trevor “ConfusedCaribou” McNeal, Troy “Pibbbcasts” Welling, Devin “PiraTechnics” Younge, and Tadhg “CelticTigerLoL” Brennan, the NACE and NASEF competition was broadcast via Twitch with a combined total of over 474,000 views. 

“Our first-ever Scholastic Esports Championship had over 470,000 live-views across three days of broadcast in partnership with Twitch,” said Todd Harris, CEO of Skillshot Media, “We were honored to shine a spotlight on top student competitors and the organizations NASEF and NACE as they advance scholastic esports and prioritize student wellbeing and outcomes”

The 2021 NACE National Championships were held on April 24 and April 25. The spring season started with 277 teams, competing across five different game titles. NACE competition was hosted entirely online this academic year due to the unique challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presented. The  NACE National Champions and Spring Cup Winners are listed below:

• Madden (PS) Champion- Boise State University, Wacey “GODZ_DOCHOLIDAY” Williams

• Madden (XBOX) Champion- Minnesota State University, Mankato, Taylor “Crosseyed Reads” Savoy

• FIFA (PS) Champion- Fanshawe College, Dylan “d_fran9” Francis

• FIFA (XBOX) Champion- Texas Wesleyan University, Jacob “Jcubs MrRaider” Williams

• Hearthstone Champions- Shawnee State University, Patrick “Fierce Patty” Broughton, Nate “Crusty” Kniess, Alex “AlanDander” Estep

• CSGO Champions- Michigan Tech University, Colin “Koi” Thor, Logan “Voltage” Long, Brendon “DeadO” Cook, Sean “Cleanslate” Parker, Hunter “Retnuh” Holm, Calvin “Chowdz” Johnson

• Fortnite Spring Cup Winners- St. Clair College, Sterling “Laysix” Dean, Nicolas “Ciriuhs” Ciri, Alexander “Juneyy” Fridge, Grant “BFT King” Way

The three teams listed below also received cash prizes for their respective rankings in the final Fortnite Spring Cup match:

1. Ashland University – $500
2. OTSU Esports – $200
3. St. Clair Saints – $100

“The 2020-2021 academic year presented a unique challenge for NACE, resulting in a completely online finals competition, the second of which hosted this year,” said Michael Brooks, Executive Director of NACE, “Despite these challenges, the number of esports fielded within NACE more than doubled from the previous year. The impressive results from these finals speaks to the herculean efforts of our members, students and partners. NACE is set up for even more growth in the professionalization of the collegiate esports space.”

The previous Friday, NASEF teams battled it out in the Madden PS4 and Xb1 Championships, the Rocket League Semi-Finals, and the Rocket League Championships. Initially, NASEF’s spring competition included 245 participating teams—192 in Rocket League and 53 in Madden. The NASEF Champions are listed below:

• Rocket League – Hickman Kewpies
• Madden (PS4) – Chambersburg
• Madden (XBOX) – Lake Stevens

“The Scholastic Esports Championship allows the thousands of students participating in NASEF clubs to gain insight into college scholarships, and pathways to higher education and employment,” said Gerald Solomon, founder and executive director of NASEF. 

The National Association of Collegiate Esports thanks all of its 2021 spring season participants for their hard work and dedication. All of the VODs from the National Championships and Fortnite Spring Cup are available at skillshot.tv.  

About NACE

The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) is a nonprofit membership association organized by and on behalf of member institutions and is the largest association of college esports in North America. Together, NACE members are developing the structure and tools needed to advance collegiate esports in the varsity space. NACE colleges and universities collaborate to lay the groundwork in areas such as: eligibility, path to graduation, competition and scholarships. NACE represents the majority of varsity programs across North America.

About Skillshot Media

Skillshot provides a turnkey esports solution for leading competitive titles, including online and offline tournament organization, industry-leading esports production, active community management, and authentic brand integration and consulting for partners.  Skillshot has more than five years of esports experience in hosting thousands of global competitors, paying out millions in tournament prizing, and serving more than one billion esports views to date. For more information, visit www.skillshot.com. 

About NASEF

The North America Scholastic Esports Federation is on a mission to provide opportunities for all students to use esports as a platform to acquire the STEM/STEAM-based skills and critical communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills needed to thrive in work and in life. In 2021, the new World Wide Scholastic Esports Foundation will incorporate NASEF along with other international partners. Find NASEF on Twitch, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

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Media Contacts:

Emily Cox, ecox@NACEsports.org

Claire LaBeaux, claire@NASEF.org

Skillshot, hi@skillshot.com