On Sunday, Penn State Club Esports hosted the 2024 Nittany Invitational in collaboration with EsportsU and Bye Blue Light. In the second installment of the Intercollegiate Esports Tournament, Club Esports moved the event from the HUB’s Alumni Hall to the Bryce Jordan Center.

Nine teams hailing from universities all over the country made it through the virtual qualifiers held in late February which earned them an invite to compete in the in-person competition at the BJC.

The event started bright and early as teams arrived to set up at their computers. Each team was assigned a table with computers for each team member, and they immediately launched into practice matches before their respective rounds.

Penn State Club Esports also worked with MSI Gaming to organize a free raffle giveaway with prizes ranging from plushies and keychains to mechanical keyboards and an AIO Water Cooler.

As for the prizes, every team in the bowl competed for a trophy and a $5,000 prize.

The opening match of the day was played between Southern Miss and Michigan, followed by Penn State battling UT Dallas and Wayne State. Southern Miss won its match, followed by Penn State winning against both UT Dallas and Wayne State.

These opening games were followed up by a resounding 3-0 victory for Michigan State over Ohio State, and then a role reversal as Akron Gold achieved a 3-0 victory over Michigan State.

After these matches, the all-important semifinal was played, and Penn State lost 4-1 to Southern Miss, leaving them tied for third place. The final was played between Southern Miss and Akron Blue, the University of Akron’s second team. Akron Blue came out on top with a strong 4-1 win over Southern Miss and won the Grand Finals of Rocket League.

With the Rocket League matches concluded, the Overwatch 2 teams took to the stage to compete in a series of games. Penn State started with a strong victory in the first game of the set, but Maryland regained the lead, winning the set with a score of 3-1.

Nearing the end of the day, the Overwatch 2 grand final between Miami of Ohio and Maryland kicked off. After a hard-fought series of games, Miami of Ohio came out on top with a 4-1 victory over Maryland, winning both the title and the grand prize.

And with that, a long day of competitive victories, teamwork, and sportsmanship came to an end.