Lancaster, Pa. - The Atlantic East Conference announces the first-ever Rocket League Tournament Champion will earn an automatic qualification to the Collegiate Esports National Championship (CENC) presented by Collegiate Sports Management Group (CSMG).
Undefeated Immaculata University will face off against 4-2 Cabrini University on Monday, April 12th at 8 p.m. ET and be live-streamed through the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). The winner will advance to the CENC which will take place April 29 - May 2, 2021.
The Atlantic East has partnered with NACE throughout this spring to have the conference's first Rocket League conference match play and tournament. NACE is a nonprofit membership association organized by and on behalf of our member institutions and is the largest varsity esports association in North America.
"The Atlantic East is excited to be a part of this historic event and provide a national championship opportunity for our inaugural Atlantic East champion! We couldn't have pulled it off without the support and partnerships of NACE and CSMG," stated Atlantic East Commissioner Jessica Huntley.
"The CENC is the first all-inclusive collegiate esports championship taking schools from across the entire esports spectrum including all levels of college athletics and associations to determine the true collegiate champion. The Atlantic East's representative in the CENC is a perfect example of how CSMG seeks to bring all of collegiate esports together for this mega-event," stated Neil Malvone, EVP Partnerships - Chief Esports Officer at Collegiate Sports Management Group.
The CENC will be aired live on ECAC and NJCAAE main Twitch channels. In addition, the National Championship will be re-aired on ESTV.
The CENC will bring in schools ranging from Power 5/65 schools to Division III. A separate competition will be held for 2-year schools from Esport powerhouses.
ABOUT THE COLLEGIATE ESPORTS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The CENC is a collegiate esports tournament played from April 29-May 2, 2021, featuring 48 collegiate esports teams from across the entire collegiate esports landscape. The CENC is fully inclusive as participants will include members of the ECAC and the NJCAAE, the only true governing bodies for collegiate esports at the 4-year and 2-year levels, respectively. Additionally, automatic bids will be awarded to conference champions during their play-in tournaments in March. The remainder of the CENC championship brackets will be rounded out by at-large berths.
About the Atlantic East Conference
The Atlantic East Conference is a Division III league formed of seven founding institutions including: Cabrini University, Gwynedd Mercy University, Immaculata University, Marymount University, Marywood University, Neumann University, and Wesley College. The conference is formed to foster athletic competition and cooperation among academically selective, private colleges located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The geographic focus brings together some of the top colleges in the region, while still allowing for a strong conference of like-minded institutions, all of which integrate competitive athletics into the student-athlete's university experience.
