OU Esports named a new League of Legends roster last week ahead of the 2024-2025 competitive season.
Coach Brandon “PenguinArchitect” White chose the team, placing Isaiah “Nerf Mobility” Bergstrom in top lane, Isaac “Spaceman 9057” Stein in the jungle, Alex “You Are Done” Pham in the mid lane, Josh “monstersummoner” Lor in bot lane, and Lakin “Zoriya” Avants at support.
Pham, Lor and Avants are returning players; Bergstrom and Stein are new additions this year. The team has a combined six years of competitive League of Legends experience at both the collegiate and high school levels, more than any previous OU League of Legends roster.
“This team has more competitive experience prior to us being a team than I’ve seen before,” White said. “Four players have multiple years of experience playing on a team.”
The team will utilize the new OU Esports and Gaming Complex for any competitive matches they host. Additionally, the facility offers high-quality gaming equipment that will be used by some players for practice. To learn more about the Complex or to make a reservation, visit their webpage.
Players are excited to hone their skills and bond as a team as the season progresses. League of Legends requires effective communication from each team member in order to win. These communication skills can be used both on Summoner’s Rift and in real life.
“Communication is extremely important in League of Legends both inside the game when you need to convey vital information to teammates and outside it when you need to give and receive constructive criticism,” Stein said. “Competing with a team that I am going to be sticking with throughout the year will undoubtedly help me hone both of these skills in a way that I can carry forward.”
Image Courtesy of the League of Legends Team
Along with improved communications skills, players report that their participation in competitive League of Legends at OU has helped them perform better in their academics. Competitive video games can enhance cognitive abilities and stimulate social and emotional growth, according to the United States Academic Esports League.
“Competing for the OU League of Legends team has made my college experience much less stressful and has enabled me to really participate in something larger than myself,” Avant said. “Practice and competition actually help me a lot with my classes. They force me to have better time management and discipline for my studies.”
In 2023, OU won the Collegiate Esports Program of the Year Award, a global award which established OU as a dominant force in the advancement and growth of collegiate esports. The League of Legends team hopes to contribute to this growth both on campus and around the world.
“I think esports will eventually get into the top five biggest programs on OU’s campus, up there with football, gymnastics, and basketball,” Bergstrom said.
The team began scrimmages on September 17, with league play beginning on Tuesday, September 24. To keep up to date with OU League of Legends, visit their webpage.
