KENOSHA – Carthage League of Legends (LoL) impressed everyone with an undefeated 7-0 regular season in Division VIII's West stage. The number-one seeded Firebirds had a sensational 3-0 run, claiming the Fall 2024 Division VIII NECC championship on Dec 3, 2024. It was Carthage Esports' first-ever LoL championship. During their West playoff run, Carthage toppled number-seven Concordia Nebraska (2-0), number-six Buena Vista (2-0), and number-one Mizzou Club B (3-2). Quarter and Semifinals were best-of-three, and the Grand Finals were best-of-five. Matches occurred weekly from Nov. 12 to Dec. 3, excluding a break on Nov 26 to celebrate Thanksgiving.
Following the title victory, Director of Esports, Robert Xiong, reflected on his team's journey, stating, "With a new team, it takes a lot of development and learning the maps…stuff like that, but they've been wonderful to work with. It's just been a long journey, you know what I mean? To go undefeated this whole season and win a championship in Game Five from silver scrapes…it's amazing to see. I'm so proud of them."
After achieving their first conference championship in Division VIII, the Firebirds were hungry for more recognition. During Spring 2025, LoL replicated an undefeated, 7-0 regular season in NECC's Division VIII Central-East A stage. Another regular season where Carthage did not drop a single game within a series. This incredible effort netted a Central-East playoffs appearance. Once again, Carthage took NECC Division VIII gold for League of Legends, cementing their stamp on the 2024-25 academic year. The Firebirds conquered Nicholls State (2-1), MSU White (2-0), and Hendrix College (3-0). Spring 2025 playoffs followed the same format and occurred weekly between March 25 and April 8.
League of Legends capped off a perfect NECC regional season with consecutive undefeated regular seasons, two-time Division VIII champions, and automatically qualified for Nationals. To finish their year, Carthage faced New Mexico State on April 15 in National Round One. Unfortunately, the Firebirds lost a tough 2-1 series to their opponent, ending their season. Although Carthage LoL fell short in Nationals, their regional run is undeniable and proved their consistency during the 2024-25 academic year. A 20-1 combined record netting the highest winning percentage (95.2%) of any Carthage Esports team this year.
Carthage Esports will return for the 2025-26 academic year to kick off its fourth competitive season, starting in Fall 2025. Follow us on all social media platforms (@carthageesports) to stay updated. Follow our Twitch channel to get notifications when broadcasts go live.
