Nighthawks Place in Mid-Atlantic Esports Conf. Playoffs. Proceeds Benefit Children’s Hospital

Over the course of the weekend, the NOVA Esports Program participated in a grueling Local Area Network (LAN) competition, sending three teams as part of the Mid-Atlantic Esports Conference (MAEC) Playoffs, named the Game Gym Winter Games 2023, which concluded the Fall semester regular season.  Players from the Valorant, Rocket League and League of Legends teams represented NOVA and competed in the District E venue as part of the event, which is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, owners of the Washington Mystics, Wizards and Capitals, among other teams. District E serves as the organization’s home venue for the NBA 2k esports team, “Wizards District Gaming,” and includes training facilities for Team Liquid, as Ted Leonsis and other owners/investors of Monumental also own the majority shares of Team Liquid, North America’s most successful esports franchise.  

The Nighthawks Valorant team, undefeated in regular season play, battled against Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in an intense finals series. Ultimately they would finish second as VCU rallied with strong play and high energy from the District E crowd.

The Nighthawks Rocket League team took the event by storm, cruising to the finals against George Mason University (GMU), the favorite to win the Rocket League Championship. The Nighthawks players were one goal away from upsetting the GMU team in one of the most compelling underdog stories of the MAEC, pushing GMU to the very last possible round. The team would finish second, impressing all those in attendance as well as the tournament organizers.

Finally, the Nighthawks League of Legends team entered MAEC Playoffs as the third seed overall and would finish their playoff run in 3rd place. Of note is the strong performance and growth of the team, defeating the prior season MAEC champions, VCU, 2-0 during regular season play, and defeating VCU yet again for the 3rd place finish, 2-0 in dominant fashion. 

At the end of the tournament, MAEC Founder Josh Hafkin agreed with Coach Jordan’s assessment that NOVA’s return to MAEC play was a reminder of just how powerful the NOVA Esports Program is. “NOVA Esports is an excellent program, and it shows,” Hafkin said. “They maintain teams that can win championships each and every semester, and that’s no small feat.”

The Winter Games event at District E benefitted Children’s National Hospital. Game Gym and the MAEC have raised a total of $36,000 to date. Stay tuned for a return to MAEC action in the Spring Semester!

Click here for more on the Winter Games/Playoffs.

#LetsGoNighthawks #NOVAEsports #LetsGetActive 

Submitted by:
CJ Jackson, Director of Athletics, CeciJackson@nvcc.edu