Over the recent weekend, two top-notch esports players from Northwood were victorious in professional and semi-professional tournaments.
Diego “Vega” Moran, a native of Fort Worth, Texas, emerged as a champion in the Stage 1 of the North American Overwatch Champions Series (OWCS). As the key league for Overwatch esports, OWCS is on the professional level. Moran is currently under contract with the Toronto Defiant, a professional Overwatch team.
“We entered the tournament with a winning mindset,” Moran expressed. “We were aware of the high hopes people had for us, I’m glad we didn’t let them down. Our strong performance in this tournament assures me that if we keep it up, we can be the ultimate winners at the year-end.”
Dakota “Dak” Morr, hailing from Freeland, came out on top in the Call of Duty Challengers Miami Open. This event is a prominent live tournament part of the global Call of Duty Challengers, which leads to the professional circuit for the Call of Duty League.
“I have been consistently finishing with good results in my Call of Duty journey, but always just missed the top spot,” Morr explained. “It gives me satisfaction that I finally won the tournament without the usual disappointment — we completed a gratifying reverse sweep to take home the series.”
Esports encompasses many competitive games, akin to how a university’s athletics department supervises numerous traditional sports. For instance, Call of Duty and Overwatch stand to an esports program as football and basketball are to a university’s sports program.
“Both Dakota and Diego’s success brings us immense joy,” shared Assistant Coach Aden Frosch. “The Miami Open is only one of the major tournaments in the entire Call of Duty Challengers series. Dakota’s winning performance and MVP title might lead him towards a professional contract offer from teams in the Call of Duty League. As for Diego, I had no doubt that his team would clinch this stage of the Overwatch Championship Series. He is a prodigious talent, and I eagerly anticipate his journey, especially as they begin to participate and contest in the offline events in Dallas, Texas and Stockholm, Sweden.”
Counting numerous world and national titles to its name, along with several players who have signed professional contracts, Northwood Esports retains a strong reputation in the collegiate esports circuit. You may find out more on https://esports.northwood.edu/