St. Clair College’s Rocket League team is headed back to the Collegiate Rocket League (CRL) World Championship, cementing themselves as a Top 10 team in North America and the best in Canada.
Following an up-and-down season which saw the Saints miss out on qualifying for the World Championship through the Fall and Spring regular season, the Rocket League squad entered the 48-team Last Chance Qualifiers (LCQ) as heavy underdogs with two remaining bids on the line.
The Saints entered the LCQ as the 24th ranked program in North America and as a longshot to make a deep run in the tournament. They battled past programs including #39 University of Utah before upsetting #18 Missouri University of Science and Technology and #16 Kennesaw State University to advance to Day 2.
Waiting in the next round was #8 University of Texas at Arlington in a rematch of the CRL World Championship quarterfinals in 2022. An underdog to say the least, the Saints dissected their opponents on route to a dominating 4-0 sweep to move on to the World’s Qualifier.
In the final hurdle, the Saints faced off against #7 Indian River State College, the favorite to win the event. The back-and-forth affair went to a final Game 7 with the Saints emerging victorious in one of the biggest upsets of the Collegiate Rocket League season.
There are few moments more exhilarating than seeing your team come together and achieve their full potential,” said Head Coach Isabella Talotta. “Knowing the lengths our team goes to be in preparation for tournaments makes moments like this even more memorable. I couldn't be more proud of my team and the journey we've taken to get to this point. That being said, we understand we still have ways to go and have even more to prove at the World Championships.”
St. Clair College will be the lone Canadian representative at the CRL World Championship. Last year they finished tied for 4th place with Quebec’s Collège de Valleyfield.
Other schools that have qualified for the World Championships include Northwood University, University of Akron, Columbia College, University of Nevada, Boise State University, West Virginia University, Stockton University, Fisher College and the Technical University of Berlin. Five spots have yet to be decided and will be filled by teams from across Europe.
The CRL World Championship finals take place at DreamHack Dallas 2023 from June 2-4.
Saints Rocket League
Ben “Spoods” Talbot, Windsor, ON — Computer Systems Technology - Networking
Raman “Rahmyn” Deol, Windsor, ON — Biomedical Engineering Technology
“Kristian” Capisciolto, Sault Ste. Marie, ON — Business Admin. Marketing
Niels “Quint” Seebann, Berlin, GER — Esports Admin. & Entrepreneurship
“Kamal” Alhariri, Windsor, ON — Computer Systems Technology - Networking
Head Coach Isabella Talotta, Toronto, ON — Esports Admin. & Entrepreneurship