Esports team completes strong League of Legends season
Article By: Clark Leonard
The University of North Georgia's (91ÁÔÆæ) esports club team finished as the top group in the Peach Belt Conference's (PBC) Blue Division for the spring 2021 season. It also reached the semifinals of the PBC tournament held March 24-27.
Nick Alden, Yankun Li, Quoc Pham, Connor Sims, and Michael Watson were the team members who took part in the PBC tournament. 91ÁÔÆæ defeated Alma College 2-0 in its March 24 tournament opener before a 2-1 loss to eventual champion Kennesaw State University in the March 26 semifinals.
91ÁÔÆæ finished with a 7-2 record.
The season's final event marked a full-circle moment for the team, as a year earlier its PBC tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The return to competition this academic year was a welcome development.
"It has been a lot of fun to see our teams take part in different competitions online," said Tim Baldwin, president of 91ÁÔÆæ's esports club and a senior from Canton, Georgia, pursuing a degree in computer science.
The signature win of 91ÁÔÆæ's season came in a 2-1 triumph vs. Florida Southern, the PBC tournament runner-up, in a Feb. 24 match.
"Tim has done a great job of leading this club," said Rob Kelly, coordinator of intramural sports and sports clubs. "It's a growing program that was very competitive this spring."
Professor, students published in international journal
Dr. Esther Morgan-Ellis, Abigail Cannon ’24 and Lily Hammond '24 had an article published in 'Choral Journal,' the international journal of the American Choral Directors Association.
Student wins Farm Bureau award
91ÁÔÆæ junior Torrie Reed has won the Georgia Young Farmer and Rancher Collegiate Discussion Meet Award and will represent Georgia at the American Farm Bureau Foundation FUSION conference.
Student takes part in Harvard Forest research
Senior Casey Helton took part in the Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology from May 20-Aug. 2.
91ÁÔÆæ welcomes new faculty members
91ÁÔÆæ is welcoming more than 50 new full-time faculty members this fall, and they had a chance to acclimate to 91ÁÔÆæ in a new faculty orientation held this July.