General

MEAC to Host First-Ever Esports Championship at Basketball Tournament

NORFOLK, Va., Jan. 23, 2023 – The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) spring 2023 esports season is underway, and this season’s championships will, for the first time, be held in-person in conjunction with the 2023 MEAC Basketball Tournament.
 
The regular season runs from this week through Sunday, Feb. 12, then Monday, Feb. 13 will see the start of postseason play. The four games competitors will participate in this season are Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario Kart 8, Overwatch 2 and Rocket League.
 
View the full regular-season schedule for each game here.
 
The opening rounds of postseason play in Mario Kart, Overwatch and Rocket League will run from Feb. 13 through March 4. The entire Smash Bros. tournament will begin on Wednesday, March 8. Rocket League’s semifinal and championship rounds will begin Thursday, March 9.
 
The Smash Bros. tournament and the semifinals and finals for Rocket League will take place at the Norfolk Scope Arena, in conjunction with the 2023 MEAC Basketball Tournament. Smash Bros. will run from 1-8 p.m. on March 8, with a pool of $1,400 in prize money on the line.
 
The tournament champion will receive $700, with second and third place receiving $400 and $300, respectively.
 
The Rocket League semifinals and finals will begin on Thursday, March 9 at 10 a.m. with the semifinal and consolation rounds. The finals will run from 1:30-5 p.m., and there will be an awards ceremony at 6 p.m.
 
The championship matches for Smash Bros. and Rocket League will be streamed live on the MEAC Esports Twitch page and available on YouTube after the event.
 
Rocket League will have a $1,050 prize pool, with all players on the championship-winning team receiving $350.
 
Overwatch will operate with a $1,750 prize pool, and the top three finishers in Mario Kart will compete for $650 – with the winner receiving 400.
 
 
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) is in its 52nd year of intercollegiate competition with the 2022-23 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of eight outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.