Northwood’s Varsity Smash team wins at Riptide; Northwood Valorant advances to Chicago Regional
Northwood Esports won the 2023 Collegiate Smash Riptide championship in Sandusky, Ohio.
Northwood defeated the University of Cincinnati, University of Akron, Purdue University, Oakland University, Notre Dame and Lawrence Tech to get to the grand finals. During the finals, Northwood defeated Michigan State University 2-0.
Northwood’s Smash team consisted of Jackson Wallace, a Midland High School graduate; Seth Reed, a graduate from Bay City Western High School; Eric Higgins, a Fraser High School graduate; Dylan Wheeler, of Broadview Heights, Ohio; Zie Hebert, of Lafayette, Louisiana; and Jessie Valdez Vallejo, of Klamath Falls, Oregon.
“This was a great way to set the tone for the year,” stated Coach Cody Elsen. “The players really worked hard for this, and I am so thrilled that they took home the championship.”
In other esports news, Northwood’s Valorant team also qualified for the Red Bull regional finals in Chicago, Illinois. The team defeated Indiana University, University of Wisconsin, Davenport University, Rochester University and eventually Ball State University in the grand finals.
“Making regionals was the first step in making it back to the world championship for the squad, and we did it in dominating fashion by outplaying our opponents,” Elsen stated. “We won 52 rounds and only lost 12.”
Northwood Valorant defeated over 50 of the best collegiate teams last year to win the 2022 Red Bull Campus Clutch World Final in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
For more information about Northwood Esports, visit https://esports.northwood.edu/.
