Winthrop University rises to the occasion in League of Legends

June 25, 2021

by Xander Torres

After having to cancel the 2020 League of Legends College Championship (CLoL) due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Riot Games crowned a new collegiate champion in 2021 at its annual League of Legends College Championship this year -- Winthrop University. Not only are they collegiate champions, but they have also qualified to compete in Nerd Street’s League of Legends Summer Championship in August.

Winthrop University was far from favored to take the collegiate tournament with heavy hitters like Maryville University looking as strong as ever, but the team steeled itself and proved to be the very best at the end of the day. With new talents like mid laner William “Doxa” Lee and collegiate veteran Tony “Saskio” Chau, the team proved to be the perfect mix of young talent and veteran leadership.

When Winthrop University first formed their collegiate League of Legends team in 2020, there was a lot of uncertainty around collegiate competition and even the lineup itself. The 2020 North American Collegiate Circuit was cancelled, but AD carry Saskio was convinced that it was a blessing in disguise for the team and their future performances.

“When we got to the [2021] season, the roster was significantly better and our chances of winning CLoL went up to like 80 percent,” Saskio said. “Last season, the team already featured strong talents like Doxa and Kenji “Srkenji” Kaneko, but we didn’t have the best possible players for the focus of improvement … We just didn’t click with the team.”

Saskio won a couple collegiate titles with Maryville University before joining Winthrop. Photo credit: Winthrop University

Saskio, Doxa and Srkenji formed the foundation for Winthrop University as longtime established players in both amateur and collegiate play. Leading up to the 2021 CLoL Finals, Saskio was a two-time CLoL champion, while Doxa recently earned a roster spot on TSM’s amateur team. Srkenji joined Winthrop in early 2020 and stood out as collegiate’s strongest engage support player, but it wasn’t until newer talents joined the roster, that we saw the team that took it all during the 2021 CLoL title.

“When Younes “Hybridzz” Tafza and Jacob “FrostForest” Chan joined the roster, everything just clicked for some reason and everyone knew what the f--- was going on,” Saskio explained. “Everyone was like, ‘All right, we can win. Let’s hunker down and this roster can go far’”

And go far they did. Winthrop University didn't place well in amateur tournaments leading up to the 2021 CLoL playoff bracket, often finishing between fifth and eighth place, but they easily swept the 2021 Southern Conference playoffs with a perfect 9-0 record.

The level of talent can vary greatly in collegiate League of Legends, but a tournament run without a single loss will always stand out as impressive. Winthrop University’s roster was the perfect mix of established North American players and new, hungry stars ready to prove themselves for the first time.

Maryville University entered the tournament as the most recent Collegiate champions, but Saskio joined Winthrop University as a former Maryville University champion, creating the perfect storm as he faced his former team in the final. In some ways, Saskio could be viewed as the center of his team, but it all came down to teamwork.

“I’m just gonna say it was a team diff. All of my teammates kind of just carried me,” he said.

Doxas has also played on TSM's amateur team. Photo credit: Winthrop University

More than that, Doxa continued to display his talents as a rising star in the mid lane. During the tournament, Doxa was affectionately labeled by casters as being a “cheat code” for his team. Doxa didn’t make his way onto TSM’s amateur team by luck -- he really is just that good. During their 2021 CLoL run, Doxa’s teammates were “relieved” to have him in the mid lane because they knew he was going to “smurf” on anyone that he played against.

In a 3-1 series win against Maryville University in the 2021 CLoL Finals, Doxa and Winthrop University “smurfed” their way to a collegiate title, proving the naysayers wrong and cementing themselves in history. As most of the roster now looks toward LCS, Academy and amateur opportunities, they’re relieved to have earned a title and some credit toward their names.

Maryville recently graduated two players to LCS positions at the start of 2021 with both Aiden "Niles" Tidwell and Ethan “Iconic” Wilkinson joining Golden Guardians, and it's hard not to expect much of the same for star players like Doxa and Srkenji from Winthrop University. Saskio will be retiring with three collegiate titles and an MBA under his belt, and he’s looking to remain in gaming.

As it stands, the future of Winthrop University’s roster is up in the air, but no one can forget the roster that showed up when it mattered most, to defeat a juggernaut in Maryville University and earn the first CLoL title since the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. The players themselves can still hardly believe their accomplishment, but no matter where some of them go next, they’ll always have this title.

Lead photo credit: Winthrop University