Niagara University Esports team to compete in winter tournament featuring Big East opponents

The Niagara University Esports team is one of five members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) that will participate in a Rocket League tournament featuring teams from the Big East Conference.

Niagara is scheduled to compete in round one of the Big East/MAAC Challenge against Quinnipiac at 12:45 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 13. The winner of that match will face Xavier at 2:15 p.m. in round two, with the winner of that game participating in the semifinals at 3:45 p.m. The finals will take place at 4:30 p.m.

The Electronic Gaming Federation will be operating the event. Teams will compete in a best-of-five format, three vs. three. Niagara’s matches can be viewed on Twitch.tv on either the OfficialEGF channel or the EGFrocketleague channel.

"Our Rocket League team is starting to really warm up, and we've been improving as the season goes along,” said Austin Hinze, a senior history major and captain of Niagara's Rocket League team. “This is another chance for us to see how we stack up against some very good competition."

Participating teams for the Big East are Butler, DePaul, Creighton, Marquette, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Xavier. Participating teams from the MAAC are Fairfield, Marist, Niagara, Quinnipiac and Siena.

“As our Esports program continues to grow and develop, we encourage our students to participate in tournaments such as the Big East/MAAC Challenge,” said Bill Newton, assistant director of campus activities. “It gives our program great exposure, connects them with students across the nation, and adds to their overall student experience at Niagara University."

Founded in 2015, EGF is the national governing body for formalized collegiate D-I esports and high school level leagues. EGF’s youth, high school and D-I collegiate leagues are inspired by the best aspects of traditional sports to create opportunities for students and schools to engage and advance.