Esports captures title at UKY Bluegrass Showdown
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The Bellevue University esports team captured the championship at the UKY Bluegrass Showdown VI LAN this past weekend, battling through the losers' bracket to defeat nationally-ranked Cleveland State University and secure the tournament title.
Noah Haensel was named the Grand Final MVP after helping lead the Bruins to victory against a loaded 16-team field that featured programs including Ohio State, Arizona State, Texas A&M, and Georgia Tech.
Bellevue opened the three-day national tournament on Friday with a flawless run through the group stage. Competing against Cleveland State, Converse, and the host University of Kentucky, the Bruins went 3-0 to emerge as the top seed heading into the eight-team, double-elimination championship bracket.
The Bruins swept through the early rounds on Saturday, defeating Georgia Tech 2-0 in the quarterfinals before sweeping Texas A&M 3-0 in the semifinals.
That set up a winner's final showdown against Cleveland State, the tournament's No. 2 overall seed and the No. 11-ranked team in the nation. CSU handed Bellevue its first adversity of the weekend, sweeping the Bruins 3-0 and sending them down to the losers' bracket.
According to head coach David Castillo, the team used the break before their next match to regroup, perfect their game plan, and reset their mental state. The strategy paid off immediately, as Bellevue swept Arizona State 3-0 in the losers' final to earn a highly anticipated rematch with Cleveland State for the championship.
In a winner-take-all scenario, Bellevue combined high-level communication and gameplay to defeat Cleveland State 3-1, forcing a bracket reset where the Bruins officially secured the Bluegrass Showdown trophy.