Edison, NJ (September 23, 2021) – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced today an extension of its partnership with Riot Games, maintaining an automatic bid for the 2022 College League of Legends Tournament.
 
“The MAAC is elated to announce the renewal of our partnership with the Riot Scholastic Association of America,” said Kelsey Nugent, MAAC Esports Coordinator and Director of Championships. “The continuation of our partnership with Riot allows MAAC member schools to compete in League of Legends in the Riot Games community while maintaining the conference’s principles of excellence in academics and athletics.”
 
The mission of Riot Scholastic Association of America is to foster the development of gaming as a meaningful and complementary part of high school and college experiences. Riot Games, the creators of League of Legends, has included the MAAC in the involvement of the Riot Scholastic Association of America.
 
"We’re thrilled to kick off a third year of partnership with the MAAC. The MAAC has been a leader among Division I athletic conferences in their support of esports," said J.T. Vandenbree, Operations and Championships lead at the RSAA. “Their efforts have been an integral part of the College LoL Season’s success over the past two years, and we’re looking forward to the future.
 
The extension with Riot will allow MAAC Esports student-athletes the continued opportunity to participate in the College League of Legends Tournament, where they will compete to receive national recognition and scholarship opportunities. An automatic bid to the tournament will be awarded to the winning team at the 2022 MAAC Esports Championship.
 
MAAC member institutions will compete in the 2022 College League of Legends Season, which kicks off the week of January 17, 2022. Registration for the upcoming season takes place through November 2021, with schedules to be announced in December. Seedings for the 2022 MAAC League of Legends Championship will be based upon results from the College League of Legends Season.
 
The College League of Legends Championship will take place following the MAAC Esports Championship. The championship will feature a 32-team bracket, with Riot expected to give out more than 190 scholarships over the course of the tournament. Since the introduction of the College Championship in 2014, Riot Games has distributed more than $4,000,000 in scholarships to thousands of students across North America.
 
In the partnership with the MAAC, Riot will also provide tournament operation management services during the regular season and conference championship. This includes bracket and schedule generation, roster management tools, access to statistics and match history, and in-game behavior and eligibility checks.
 
In addition to League of Legends, the 2022 MAAC Esports Championship will feature tournaments in Overwatch, Rocket League, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The championship is scheduled to take place in March 2022.
 
Stay up to date on all MAAC Esports action by following MAAC Esports Twitter account @MAACEsports.
 
About the Riot Scholastic Association of America:
Formed by Riot Games in 2019, the Riot Scholastic Association of America serves as the governing body for College and High School League of Legends in the U.S. and Canada. The RSAA team supports the RSAA Advisory Board - a team of external authorities from college sports and esports - to grow and refine college esports.
 
League of Legends is the largest and most developed college esport in North America. 354 schools participated in 2019, with more than 250 offering some form of official support, ranging from practice facilities to coaches and scholarships. For more information on the RSAA, visit https://rsaa.riotgames.com/
 
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 41st year of competition during the 2021-22 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.