Esports ends season with third straight League of Legends playoff win

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College esports ended its 2021 spring season in fine fashion on Thursday night with a 2-0 win over Marietta College in the Great Lakes Esports Conference League of Legends playoffs. With the victory, Defiance claimed fifth place in the GLEC.

In the best-of-three match, the Yellow Jackets cruised, avenging a 2-1 loss to Marietta on Feb. 6. DC won the opening game, 23 kills to four, before sealing the win, 17-9.

"I am extremely proud of these boys in how they have developed," Defiance head coach Chris Sanders said. "Last semester we ended in last place, and coming into playoffs we sat down and said we aren't letting that happen again. Everyone involved put in some serious practice hours to bring us all the way to the top of our consolation bracket and secure a fifth-place finish for the season."

On Thursday, the winners were led by Stephen Jones' 26 takedowns and 8.7 KDA while David Andrew also had 26 takedowns with a 6.5 KDA. Garrett Snyder and Damon Thomas each recorded 22 takedowns and an 11 KDA while Dakota Swift was not far behind with 20 takedowns and a KDA of 10.

The Yellow Jackets finish the season with three consecutive victories, all in the playoffs without losing a single game.

"We aren't done yet," Sanders concluded. "We are looking to take down some of the bigger schools next season, like Trine and Tiffin. This run through playoffs should really have some of our competition worried about us next semester."