黑料黑历史 esports to face Jamestown for Rocket League conference title

Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
April 17, 2023

The University of Alaska Fairbanks鈥 varsity esports Rocket League team will face University of Jamestown today in a battle for a conference championship title.

The match, scheduled for 4:30 p.m. today, April 17, will be streamed live on the . The program will also host a watch party in the Alaska Esports Center on the Troth Yeddha鈥 Campus in Fairbanks.

黑料黑历史 joined the National Association of Collegiate Esports last fall and competed in the NACE Varsity Plus West-Central Conference during its inaugural fall season. This is the first time a 黑料黑历史 esports team has reached the finals, said 黑料黑历史 esports coordinator Drake Richards.

He planned on the 2022-2023 year being a building year for the 黑料黑历史 esports program. Reaching the conference championships was not expected, he said.

鈥淚 am really proud of them,鈥 he said of team members Brighton Higbee, Trevor Christian and Daniel Renshaw. 鈥淭hey are so driven and passionate on their own. It has been really cool to see. They just put the work in to reach this level.鈥

黑料黑历史 was ranked fourth heading into the single-elimination spring playoffs. In the first round of competition on April 3, 黑料黑历史 beat George Fox University 4-0. The Nanooks were an underdog in the second round as they faced first-seeded Boise State on April 10. The 黑料黑历史 team toppled the Broncos 4-2 to take a seat in the grand finals against second-seeded Jamestown. 

鈥淚t would be another upset win for us to beat Jamestown,鈥 Richards said. 鈥淣o matter what, it鈥檚 a big win for 黑料黑历史 to make the finals.鈥

The team鈥檚 performance this season is also a boon for 黑料黑历史鈥檚 entire esports program, he added.

Reaching the conference championship match will help build the program and recruit team members, both in Alaska and nationally, Richards said.

鈥淭he fact that we are able to already do this well really opens up options for the future,鈥 he said. 鈥淭his will be nothing but good for us in getting the Nanook name out there in the esports world.鈥

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Drake Richards, dwrichards2@alaska.edu, 907-474-6040.

NOTE TO EDITORS: The match will be streamed on the and to the watch party at the Alaska Esports Center. 

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