The Redbird Esports Overwatch team, coached by Megan Lomonof, will compete in the Pro-Am West tournament of the Overwatch League. Redbird Esports, housed at Illinois State University, is the only collegiate Overwatch team to claim a spot in the international tournament.
More than 200 teams across the North America and Europe/Middle East regions competed for seven available spots in open competition. The winners, including Redbird Esports, will take on professionally ranked Overwatch teams in the Pro-Am West, which begins March 23.
“This is a unique tournament where top amateur teams get to play top professional teams,” said Coach Lomonof. “We’ve shown that we can compete on an international level with some of the best Overwatch players in the world.” The Pro-Am tournament will kick off the 2023 season for the Overwatch League, an international esports league comprising 20 city-based teams.
The victory continues a winning year for the Overwatch team. The Redbirds recently seized the national title for the Collegiate Overwatch Collegiate Homecoming National Tournament. The Redbird Esports team consists of Rick “GiG” Salazar, Daniel “Grathen” McGrath, Landon “Vision” Monteferrante, William “Lyar” Ohlstein, Steven “Renko” Saucedo, Shawn “MovingFish7” Reddy, Thomas “Deeko” Buck, and Saad “Saadist” Khan.
Find out more about the Redbird Esports teams.
Illinois State established the first varsity esports program at a public higher education institution in the state in 2019 and has become synonymous for excellence in esports. The esports boom across the nation is drawing more students to schools with competitive programs. Illinois State is meeting the demand with a Redbird Esports facility.
