Victorious five-player team to receive full tuition for remainder of their collegiate careers
IRVINE, Calif. – Red and gold are the colors of victory as the Rouge et Au of Laval University have claimed the Heroes of the Dorm National Championship, including the top prize of full tuition for its five players for the remainder of their collegiate careers. The North American collegiate esports tournament for Heroes of the Storm, the dynamic battle arena title from Blizzard Entertainment, culminated at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles in Burbank, California and crowned its first Canadian champion. In its fourth year, Heroes of the Dorm serves as the marquee event from Tespa, Blizzard’s collegiate eSports network.
The Rouge et Au were flawless in their run through the Heroic Four, sweeping teams from the University of Kentucky and the University of Buffalo in the semifinals and finals, respectively. The first game in each best-of-five series seemed to hold the best chances for Laval’s opponents, but, each time, the moment came and went with the Quebecois students answering in full with textbook execution and timing on their Heroic Ability attacks.
”For years, it was only a US team [as national champions], not even one Canadian team in the top four, and we just won Dorm, not only the top four,” said team captain Jérôme “Earth” Levesque. “It was an amazing Heroes of the Dorm. It was an incredible, special thing [that was] well done.”
“Laval University had a run for the ages and I couldn’t be more impressed with the new champions,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Heroes of the Dorm teams are the future of competitive gaming, and we’re thrilled at how they embrace their roles in the broader esports ecosystem. The passion of all the students and college sports fans who participated in this year’s event keep us looking forward to more Tespa events in 2018 and beyond.”
This year’s Heroes of the Dorm began with hundreds of teams from across North America organized by conference. It included a unique broadcast partnership with Raycom Sports, providing cross-country coverage for the tournament’s Atlantic Coast Region. Fans were able to play along at home via the Heroes of the Dorm Bracket Challenge, which broke new ground in esports by offering a $1 million-dollar grand prize to the lucky fan who could correctly pick all 63 winners in the bracket phase. Though that prize went unclaimed this year, one skilled entrant will receive $10,000 for the best bracket. The Rouge et Au’s victory also unlocks themed Heroes of the Storm in-game items for the top 500 Bracket Challenge entries. All Heroes of the Storm players will be able to purchase these items at a later date.
Collegiate eSports continues in 2018 with several high-profile events in the Tespa Collegiate Series, including the Hearthstone National Championship and the Overwatch Training Grounds. Visit tespa.org for more information.
Related: Heroes of the Dorm Leads Tespa’s College eSports Lineup in 2018
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