LOUDONVILLE, NY – Siena College has announced the commencement of an eSports team representing the college, as they begin competition today in the upcoming ECAC eSports League in 2018-19. The team was assembled last March and competed at the 2018 men's and women's MAAC Basketball Championships.
 
"Siena is excited to be a member of the newly created ECAC eSports League, which will allow the team to compete against other DI institutions weekly," said Associate Director of Athletics and Finance Dennis Bates. "This opportunity allows students to represent, and compete for, their school outside of the traditional sports. It's opening up doors for students who may not have otherwise had a chance to showcase their school spirit."
 
The Saints competed in the inaugural ECAC eSports Invitational at the Albany Capital Center, held in conjunction with an eSports Exhibition on March 1, 2018 as part of the 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Basketball Championships Fan Fest. The exhibition was a day-long event designed to educate college sports and recreation administrators about the rapidly expanding intercollegiate eSports opportunities for their institutions. The event featured a series of panel discussions followed by a four-team eSports tournament on Riot Games' League of Legends featuring ECAC and MAAC member schools, which was won by Marist.

"Siena College did not have a formal eSports, or video gaming club/team at the time, so we grassroots marketed to all students," added Bates. "That campaign netted a team of five students who never played together until the week before last year's MAAC championships, and defeated a Canisius team that comprised of a formal club. The initial team of five has since grown to two teams (A team and B team) consisting of thirteen students who will compete weekly in ECAC eSports."

Some of the teams whom the Saints will be competing against are Marist, Quinnipiac, SUNY Canton, Texas Wesleyan, Sacred Heart, Stevenson, and Keuka College. Many more institutions are expected to field teams beginning in the spring.

The ECAC will once again host the live, in-person eSports Championships across several platforms at the Capital Center in Albany on March 29 and 30, 2019, as part of the Hudson Valley Gamer Conference, sponsored in partnership with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.