Boise State’s League of Legends team won its first Mountain West Title in the recent Fall Mountain West Conference Invitational. With nine schools competing, the Broncos were undefeated including two wins over Nevada, last year’s champion.
“While we compete on the national stage, we know that how we do against the schools in our neighborhood is really important. A Mountain West title means a ton to all Broncos,” said Head Coach Chris “Doc” Haskell.
Haskell noted players Brandon Kosciancic and Robert Farisy who were on the winning team.
“They have competed for this championship three times and have always been the runners-up. This is especially gratifying to get this honor for them before they graduate,” Haskell said.
Farisy said the Mountain West title is “a good indicator of what’s to come” for the team.
“The real Collegiate League of Legends season starts in spring,” said Farisy. “We’re already considering what a number one seed playoff berth from winning the MWC will mean to us as a program. There’s a big difference in facing a number three seed from a cardinal conference compared to a two or one seed.”
In addition to winning honors and gaining fans, Boise State Esports has also been active in community outreach efforts to high school Esports organizations across the country. Boise State has supported the high school teams by broadcasting some of their matches on Friday nights on the Boise State Twitch channel. Haskell shared a recent thank you note from Kevin Clevenger, a teacher in Missouri:
“I want to thank you for what you are doing for the high school esports in Missouri. It is making these students so excited and giving them pride in their schools. I know it made my kids so excited and they were just blowing up our student discord and in the chat of the Twitch feed…Your group does such an amazing job with the broadcasters to those that work behind the scenes with all the graphics and highlights. Such a class operation you run at Boise State University.”
The team, Haskell said, has “a really special power to spotlight others. The students believe we should be lifting others up whenever we can. Broadcasting some cool high school students and games with our super-powered spotlight lets us give back.”
Boise State Esports competition schedule