Get ready. The future is here. Champlain Esports, the College’s comprehensive esports program, marks its official launch by naming its first varsity teams for the 2022 spring season.
The Valorant and Rocket League varsity teams, collectively comprising 13 students, will be the first varsity teams in over 20 years to represent Champlain as they compete for playoff spots over the course of the upcoming season. Check out the roster reveals for the varsity teams below and on the Champlain Esports YouTube channel.
Esports for Everyone
The launch of these varsity teams is an exciting milestone for Champlain Esports. Champlain students have been instrumental in driving the growth of Champlain Esports from its inception as a club that continues to thrive, to a comprehensive program that engages students across campus through varsity-level teams; club and intramural competitive play; and recreational opportunities.
Champlain Esports aims to support the success and fulfillment of its varsity-level players, and enhance and expand an inclusive, dedicated community of esports competitors and enthusiasts at Champlain. Teams, tournaments, and events are open and inclusive to the entire Champlain community, and students across all academic divisions can get involved in many areas that support the program’s players and leagues. The program paves the way for students to learn about and gain experience in the multi-billion dollar video game industry, as well as to cultivate skills in related fields such as marketing, graphic design, broadcast media production, communication, business management, and more.
“The launch of Champlain Esports puts Champlain on the cutting edge of an exploding and evolving industry,” said Christian Konczal, Director of Champlain Esports. A graduate of Champlain with a Master of Fine Arts in Emergent Media, Christian has extensive experience starting and growing collegiate esports programs. “I’ve been honored to work with Champlain students to bring to life this complete college-wide esports experience that we hope will be a source of pride and excitement for the whole Champlain community and beyond.”
The expansion of Champlain Esports continues this spring, with the much-anticipated opening of a showcase esports facility at Champlain’s Lakeside campus. The state-of-the-art esports hub will welcome all students, and help to build a gaming community and school spirit among students, faculty, staff, alumni, and even those in the greater Burlington and Vermont communities.
Varsity-Level Competition Begins
The Varsity Valorant and Varsity Rocket League teams represent the first varsity-level competition at Champlain in over 20 years. Varsity team members were selected for their gaming skills, but also must meet requirements for academics, physical fitness, and community service. Team members will first participate in initial placement matches to determine what division each team will compete in. Teams will then have eight weeks of competition, ending with playoffs, and hopefully, the chance to secure a championship towards the end of the semester.
Champlain: A Comprehensive Career-Focused Game Destination
Champlain Esports builds on Champlain’s pioneering position and long-standing leadership in career-focused game development programs. Champlain College was the first college with four-year academic programs in video game development, offering its first courses in 1998 and first degrees in 2004. Today, the Game Studio at Champlain College boasts one of the world’s most comprehensive game development programs, with state-of-the art facilities, exceptional faculty with extensive game industry experience, a distinctive cross-functional Game Studio cohort experience, and six undergraduate majors representing every aspect of the game development industry. Champlain has been ranked as a top undergraduate game design school by the Princeton Review.
Champlain College Esports aligns with Champlain’s career-driven approach to higher education, which prepares students for their professional life from their very first semester. On average, 85 percent of Champlain’s game students achieve career success within six months of graduation. By the time they graduate, Champlain’s game students are fully prepared to join professional studios and many are hired directly into major game studios.
Show Your Support!
To show your support for the new varsity teams, follow Champlain Esports on social media. Subscribing to the Twitch channel is the best way to stay current with upcoming competitions.
Champlain Esports Varsity Team Rosters
Varsity Valorant Team
Coach: Charlie Kowalski ‘22 // Game Programming
Manager: Austin Grupposo ‘23 // Computer Networking & Cybersecurity and Computer & Digital Forensics
Captain: Sebastian Meredith ‘23 // Computer Networking & Cybersecurity
Joseph Clemente ‘25 // Game Programming
Jake Baranowski ‘25 // Game Programming
Joshua Guptill ‘24 // Game Design
Bryant Koziol ‘23 // Game Design
Daniel Baker ‘22 // Filmmaking
Varsity Rocket League Team
Manager: Jacob Lucas ‘23 // Secondary Education
Coach/Captain: Hunter Gale ‘24 // Computer Science & Innovation
Alex Been ‘25 // Digital Forensics
Teagan Barton ‘25 // Game Design
Sam Richardson ‘25 // Computer Networking & Cybersecurity
Are you a student interested in joining Champlain College Esports? Check out their website or email esports@champlain.edu. You can also join the Champlain Esports Discord server.
