Triton Esports athletes compete in national collegiate finals
Last week, four student-athletes from the University of Guam Triton Esports program competed in the national collegiate finals for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, hosted by the National Association of Collegiate Esports. The Tritons were four out of the top 32 athletes across the nation who competed in the Starleague SSBU Collegiate Circuit Finals on Jan. 24.
The 1v1 tournament followed a double-elimination, grand finals reset format with players having to win the best of five matches to advance. Student-athletes from eight regions competed in the tournament for a total prize pool of $2,000.
The Tritons earned their spot in the finals after making the top eight in the western qualifiers in November. Psychology major Daryl “Technition” Dianzon led the Tritons with 80 points, which guaranteed him a spot in the finals and made him number five on the West Coast.
“Making top eight in the West Coast and playing in a national tournament is an insane accomplishment for me as a player and a person. My time working with my coaches and teammates has made improving a lot easier, and I’m glad that I joined the Triton Esports SSBU Team,” Dianzon said.
SSBU Team Captain Ronee “CapsTwo” Pangilinan and Maven “Stratagem” Dulana also made it to the finals based on their qualifier performance. Barron “Trix” Tranate, who was next in line for the top eight to compete in the finals, replaced an athlete from another university who dropped out of the tournament.
“This was much further than I ever anticipated reaching during my first semester with Triton Esports. Now that I’ve experienced the competitive online environment for myself, I can keep that feeling close to my heart as I work towards getting even further next time,” Dulana said.
Although the Tritons didn’t make it to the top in the finals, Dianzon and Pangilinan secured one win each.
Their tournament results are:
- Daryl “Technition” Dianzon: 1 win, 2 losses, Rank #17
- Ronee “CapsTwo” Pangilinan: 1 win, 2 losses, Rank #17
- Maven “Stratagem” Dulana: 0 wins, 2 losses, Rank #25
- Barron “Trix” Tranate: 0 wins, 1 loss, Rank #25
“Their success is a testament to their hard work and dedication. A demanding yet efficient coaching style helped fine-tune these students into elite competitors,” said Triton Esports Manager Ken San Nicolas. “We are very proud to have had them represent Triton Esports, UOG, and the island as a whole.”
More than 24,398 people tuned in for the event, which was livestreamed on the NACE Esports and CSL Esports Twitch channels. The finals also accrued 767,275 unique viewers throughout the broadcast, and the stream captured approximately 5.71 million minutes watched by its viewers.
Fans can watch the tournament highlights on the NACE Twitch channel. For updates and more information about Triton Esports, visit the program’s or follow Triton Esports on Instagram, Twitch, and Discord.
