51��Ƶ

April 26, 2022 - The 51��Ƶ Esports Rocket League Team recently won the Bluegrass Boost Battle Championship after defeating the University of Kentucky team 4-3 in the grand finals. 

Rocket League is a high-powered, arcade-style soccer game with vehicular mayhem. Each team is comprised of three players battling in a five-minute match. If the score is tied after five minutes, overtime is played until the next goal is scored. 

“This experience was honestly the bittersweet ending to it all for me personally as I am graduating in May,” Hunter Kolb, an 51��Ƶ Esports senior, said. “The event was run incredibly well, and all the players were friendly, I think mostly in part because everyone was just happy to see each other in person and have a good time with people from the community.” 

Team members of the 51��Ƶ Rocket League team are Hunter Kolb, Liam Greene and Eric Jackman. The three have played together on the Varsity Rocket League team for two years. Robert Blasingame, also an 51��Ƶ student, served as a lead shoutcaster, also known as broadcasting announcer, for the live stream of the tournament. 

“We are excited about the growth and future of Esports at 51��Ƶ,” Dr. Jim Buss, director of 51��Ƶ Esports and dean of 51��Ƶ’s Honors College, said. “The success of our Rocket League team is reflective of the university’s overall investment in 51��Ƶ Esports, which now supports more than 35 students at the varsity level. I could not be more proud of this team and the entire program.” 

The Bluegrass Boost Battle, hosted by UK on March 26, was the third Local Area Network (LAN) event the 51��Ƶ Esports Rocket League team participated in this school year. A LAN event is an in-person Esports tournament event where all players are on the same local network. The 51��Ƶ team participated in the inaugural Rocket League Bluegrass Boost Battle in fall 2021, claiming the title against UK’s A Team, the same team 51��Ƶ faced in the finals this spring. 

Schools that sent teams to the Bluegrass Boost Battle in Lexington this spring included: Western Kentucky University, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, University of Cincinnati, University of Alabama-Huntsville, University of the Cumberlands, Xavier University, Murray State University, UK and 51��Ƶ. 

For more information on the Esports program at 51��Ƶ, visit the website.