The University of Texas at Arlington varsity esports program capped the 2021-2022 academic year by being crowned grand champion at the Electronic Gaming Federation (EGF) National Championships.
UTA players competed in three different games at the national tournament. The Mavericks won the EGF’s Super Smash Brothers Ultimate (SSBU) tournament and season, placing first after beating out the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Over the past academic year, players competed in the EGF in three team-based multiplayer games: Rocket League, Overwatch and SSBU. All three teams qualified for the national tournament. UTA tied for third place in the Collegiate Overwatch and Rocket League tournaments after battling tough fields that included schools from around the country.
“This is not going to be the last time we win big,” says David “Davy” Tran, a sophomore studying chemistry. “This is 100 percent the start of a dynasty, so don’t expect anything less than success from our team.”
EGF is the national governing body for organized high school level and collegiate D-I esports leagues. The tournament was held both online and in person at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. UTA participated online, while other schools opted into play in person at William & Mary’s Integrated Science Center.
Vi Tran, assistant coach of UTA Esports, said victories like this are great for educating people that esports is a full-fledged industry.
“It was no surprise that they performed this well – this was the fruition of all the effort they put in throughout the season,” he says.
