911±¬ΑΟ esports to face Jamestown for Rocket League conference title

Marmian Grimes
907-474-7902
April 17, 2023

The 911±¬ΑΟ’ 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 911±¬ΑΟ Esports Center on the Troth Yeddha’ Campus in Fairbanks.

911±¬ΑΟ 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 911±¬ΑΟ esports team has reached the finals, said 911±¬ΑΟ esports coordinator Drake Richards.

He planned on the 2022-2023 year being a building year for the 911±¬ΑΟ esports program. Reaching the conference championships was not expected, he said.

β€œI am really proud of them,” he said of team members Brighton Higbee, Trevor Christian and Daniel Renshaw. β€œThey 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.”

911±¬ΑΟ was ranked fourth heading into the single-elimination spring playoffs. In the first round of competition on April 3, 911±¬ΑΟ 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 911±¬ΑΟ team toppled the Broncos 4-2 to take a seat in the grand finals against second-seeded Jamestown. 

β€œIt would be another upset win for us to beat Jamestown,” Richards said. β€œNo matter what, it’s a big win for 911±¬ΑΟ to make the finals.”

The team’s performance this season is also a boon for 911±¬ΑΟ’s entire esports program, he added.

Reaching the conference championship match will help build the program and recruit team members, both in 911±¬ΑΟ and nationally, Richards said.

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

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 911±¬ΑΟ Esports Center. 

163-23