In a single weekend, Maryville University’s esports program claimed three national championships, pushing its all-time total to 20 championships in just 10 years. Maryville’s dominance in the digital arena has redefined what it means to be a student-athlete in the 21st century.
On May 31 and June 1, Maryville’s “League of Legends” and “Valorant” teams clinched national titles at the 2025 College League of Legends and College Valorant Championships at NC State University. Its “League of Legends” team swept Ole Miss in a best-of-five series, while its “Valorant” team triumphed over Winthrop University in a 3-1 showdown. That weekend capped off a momentous spring season in which Maryville also brought home three more titles at the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Spring Grand Finals in Florida.
These three victories add to a slew of wins across titles such as “Rocket League,” “Valorant” and “League of Legends.” Maryville’s Esports Program was also recognized as Program of the Year and Team of the Year at the 2025 Scholastic Esports Awards.
With the continued growth in technology and love for video games, the field of esports is fast-growing and ever-changing. Jordan Ousley, director of esports media at Maryville, described esports as competitive video games played at a similar level as traditional sports, involving athletes playing at the professional and semi-professional levels, and then collegiate and even high school levels.
“In competitive video gaming, like baseball or football, players usually (specialize) in one title,” Ousley said. “If you’re a “League of Legends” player, oftentimes you’re not playing any other games; just like if you’re a baseball player, you’re only playing baseball. You’re not going to be playing soccer on the weekends. That’s the sport you are dedicated to.”
Maryville founded its esports program in 2015. At the time, professional esports player Daniel Clerke had a vision for something the collegiate world hadn’t seen yet: a serious, scholarship-supported esports program. When then-president Dr. Mark Lombardi asked what it would take to make Maryville a national contender, Clerke made a promise: “Give me five computers and five scholarships, and I’ll bring you a national championship.”
Maryville became one of the first colleges to offer esports scholarships and it also became one of the founding members of NACE. Now, Maryville is known to be one of the top collegiate programs in North America, with 20 championship titles in between its “League of Legends,” “Rocket League” and “Valorant” teams in the past 10 years.
“There was no blueprint,” Clerke said. “At the time there weren’t any college esports programs. We were one of the first few programs to exist so there was a lot of trial and error when trying to see what works and what doesn’t.”
Today, Clerke is the director of esports at Maryville, and the program he helped pioneer blends competitive excellence with academic standards, setting a high bar for what’s possible in college esports.
“This impressive milestone is a testament to the dedication, discipline, and talent of our student-athletes – and to the vision and leadership of our pioneering esports program,” Maryville President Dr. Dan Shipp said in a press release. “Maryville continues to reimagine higher education and redefine what it means to be a student-athlete through its commitment to innovation and student success. The sky’s the limit for these student athletes, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.”
With a team-wide GPA of 3.65, the players don’t just dominate online — they’re expected to succeed in classrooms too. Every player is required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA while training as much as eight to ten hours a day in peak season, often balancing a full courseload with high-pressure matches streaming to thousands of viewers.
“At Maryville, we train the best of the best,” Clerke said. “A lot of our players go on and play for professional teams. We’re going to teach our students and our players how to be at the top 0.01% of this activity. Through learning what it takes to be that good at this, they can apply that to learning anything else for the rest of their lives.”
Players at Maryville often practice three to four hours a day as a team, then train an additional three to four hours individually. While these schedules and requirements may seem vigorous, structured curfews, academic accountability, and high expectations for performance have resulted in high levels of success for Maryville’s esports teams and all of its professional athletes across the years.
“Maryville will strive to help you grow,” Tykhon Benderskyi, a student on the “Valorant” team at Maryville University said. “Where other schools might just expect you to be good, Maryville will work with you to make you the best you can be. You’re not gonna just be expected to show up and not get things in return. I get the love in return. I get the support in return. You are showing up and you’re doing it for yourself and for the (Maryville) family.”
Benderskyi grew up in Ukraine and moved to the United States with his family. He grew up wanting to become a professional esports player and saw Maryville as an opportunity to achieve his dreams. Maryville’s teams aren’t just the best in college – they’re performing and winning at the semi-professional level as well.
“Maryville is one of the very few schools that actually compete at the semi-professional level,” Ousley said. “Our ‘League of Legends’ team is considered one of the best ‘League of Legends’ teams, not just in collegiate but also at the semi-pro level. We won the semi-pro tournament last year. We got second this year. It’s something that we as the collegiate team have been competing in for a while, and because of that, it allows us to get the Maryville name, not just out to any sort of in the collegiate ecosystem, but in the professional ecosystem as a whole.”
Because of previous success, recruiting for a program like Maryville’s is highly competitive. With students from across the world fighting for a spot on the roster, most incoming varsity athletes already have connections to the semi-pro scene or are top-ranked in their regions. But for those who aspire to join the program without that level of experience, Maryville offers the Esports Academy: a training ground for future varsity hopefuls.
The Academy, now with over 75 active members, allows students to compete in additional titles like ‘Apex Legends,’ ‘Super Smash Bros.’ and ‘Marvel Rivals’ while offering coaching, competition, and community – without the pressure of varsity play.
“Not every high school player is ready to compete on a national stage, and that’s okay,” says Clerke. “We created the Academy so students still have a place to grow, learn and be part of something bigger.”
His advice to aspiring players: know the difference between gaming and esports.
“If you want to get really good at this, it’s going to take sacrifices, just like other sports,” Clerke said. “There isn’t a clear path for esports. So if you’re a kid that’s interested in this I would talk to your parents about it, sit down with them and try to find something in your local community.”
Clerke also stated that there are a variety of resources for children who are looking to get into esports, especially in the St. Louis area. Maryville offers esports summer youth training camps for high school students who are looking to level up their gameplay. Additionally, Missouri Scholastic Esports Federation (MOSEF) is a high school association that supported the growth of scholastic esports by providing schools with education about esports while also providing equitable access for students to competitive leagues.
While reflecting on experience pursuing video games, Benderskyi said his number one piece of advice for children who are wanting to get into esports is to understand the level of commitment that esports requires, that they must be willing to put in the work.
“If you want to go into video games, you have to develop a clear goal, have a clear discipline, a clear foundation of what you want to achieve within video games,” Benderskyi said. “Understand that you have to put in the work. You have to sacrifice your time. You have to put in those hours more than others to be better. But you need to understand that you need to put in that time with purpose. You can’t just play and play and play and expect yourself to get better. You have to have a foundation on how to get better.”
