St. Clair College sees nine players represented on NACE All-Star teams along with 11 finalist nominations
St. Clair College cleaned up at the annual National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) Awards this past week at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, picking up seven awards including the inaugural NACE Directors' Cup and Marketing Team of the Year.
Valerie Shih, Esports Marketing & Events Manager, and her team of Marketing Team students set the bar for collegiate marketing with their unique content. Tae Boumny was the creative mind behind the Saints' best stories this past year and more than deserving of winning the NACE Social Media Producer of the Year Award.
"I'm very grateful to all the students on the team. They push the boundaries of collegiate marketing constantly and they truly deserve it," said Shih. "We hope to continue pushing the limits of collegiate marketing and inspire other schools to do the same."
The Directors' Cup recognizes and celebrates the most well-rounded competitive programs participating in NACE using a points system based on competitive results.
"NACE is thrilled to recognize St. Clair College as our inaugural recipient of the NACE Directors' Cup," said Adam Stanley, Esports Director at Brewton-Parker College, and member of the NACE Board of Directors. "St. Clair has now earned the right, conclusively, to call themselves the best competitive program of all NACE members."
Saints Call of Duty coach Zarin Bartholomew and VALORANT coach Owen Mantha took home Coach of the Year honours for their respective titles for the second consecutive year. The awards capped an outstanding season for each team as both won NACE North American Championships this past April.
Isabella Talotta was awarded with the Student Leadership Award for demonstrated exceptional leadership among their peers. Isabella exhibited outstanding contributions to the Saints Esports community through her efforts as Varsity Rocket League coach, managing on-campus events and starting the program's first marginalized gender team for VALORANT.
Full list of Award Winners:
- Tae Bounmy - Social Media Producer of the Year
- Zarin Bartholomew - Call of Duty Coach of the Year
- Owen Mantha - VALORANT Coach of the Year
- Mirel Hrustemovic - VALORANT MVP
- Isabella Talotta - Student Leadership Award
- Marketing Team of the Year
- Directors' Cup Winners
The Saints were also finalists in several other categories:
- Daneil Brown - Broadcast Talent of the Year
- Robinpreet Sidhu - Overwatch Coach of the Year
- Alonso Dvir - League of Legends Coach of the Year
- Ethan Elmer - Rainbow 6 Siege Coach of the Year
Nine Saints were also named to NACE All-Star Teams:
- Eric Pitzel - League of Legends All NACE 1st Team
- Mathieu Breton - League of Legends All NACE 2nd Team
- Jack Francis - Overwatch All NACE 1st Team
- Francis Biller - Call of Duty All NACE 1st Team
- Justin Parent - Call of Duty  All NACE 2nd Team
- Mirel Hrustemovic - VALORANT All NACE 1st Team
- Tanner McGhee - VALORANT All NACE 1st Team
- Steven Fisher - VALORANT All NACE 2nd Team
- Connor Jacques - Rainbow 6 Siege All NACE 2nd Team