Esports Wins 1st WHAC Championship in School History
(Howell, MI)-- It was a historic weekend for the Cleary Cougar esport team, as the squad captured the school's first ever Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) Championship.
The weekend consisted of two single-game tournaments, and the results were combined with the fall's Rocket League championship to declare the overall winner. Cleary had finished in fourth place in the Rocket League tournament in November.
On Saturday's Overwatch 2 Tournament:
- #5 Cleary defeated #4 Lawrence Tech 3-1 to advance to the semi finals
- In the semis, #5 Cleary would lose 3-0 to #1 and eventual champion Lourdes to find themselves in the 3rd place match.
- In the 3rd place match, #5 Cleary would drop their match to #2 Indiana Tech by a 3-0 margin, and claimed 4th place in Overwatch.
In Sunday's League of Legends Tournament:
- #1 Cleary would cruise through the tournament, and didn't lose a single game en route to the League of Legends Championship
- In their first match, #1 Cleary defeated #8 Siena Heights 2-0 to advance to the semifinals
- In the semis, #1 Cleary would defeat #4 Indiana Tech 2-0
- In the finals, #1 Cleary faced off against #2 Aquinas in a best of five, and Cleary would go on to win 3-0.
The first place finish in League of Legends, combined with the fourth place finishes in Rocket League and Overwatch 2, gave the Cougars enough points to claim the WHAC's overall Esports Championship.
Also announced at the tournament were the postseason awards, and multiple Cougars were recognized:
- Head Coach Nathan Benton was named the WHAC Esports Coach of the Year in his 1st season at the helm
- Pichit Charoenpanich was recognized as Cleary's representative on the Champions of Character team
- All five starters on the League of Legends team were recognized. Azeem Ali and William Cronin were named First Team All-Conference, while John Leomarc Alonzo, Kieron Cronin, and Jon Quach were named Second Team All-Conference.