DES MOINES, IOWA —Grand View University Esports closes out the 2025-26 esports competition year by defending their D1 NECC championship title for League of Legends for the second year as the National Champions with a 4-win clean sweep in San Antonio, Texas, where the competition was held.
The NECC National Championships served as the last collegiate competition for graduating seniors, Matthew "Castle" Castleberry and Mark "Nightstar" Gonzalez, who had incredible performances all year but especially during the grand finals match against Fisher College. Nightstar was an unstoppable force for GVU and repeatedly turned losing scenarios into victory screens, becoming the x-factor in securing the championship title without dropping a single game throughout the entire championship playoffs.
GV celebrates its two other graduating seniors on the League of Legends team, who were instrumental in creating such a dominant year:
- Jon "Proctor" Schneck
- Miguel "Shamwwow" Magno
In his inaugural year, Coach Devin "Kolthro" Drzewucki led the League of Legends team through an incredible Spring split, tallying up a total of 35 wins and only 11 losses across three separate conferences (CLOL, NECC, NACE) and capturing milestone 1st, 3rd, and 4th place finishes. Coach Kolthro has decided to step down from the League of Legends Head Coach role, leaving the position as the year comes to an end. He made a lasting impression on the program as one of the first students to join the newly founded GV esports program back in 2017, celebrating an incredible college esports career, and now capping it off by making program history multiple times in a single year.
"This program won't feel the same without Matthew, Mark, Jon, Miguel, and Devin, but it has been such an incredible experience to see each of these individuals throughout their journeys. Endless pride for these guys and the work they put in over the years that could coalesce into such a massively successful finale. I know they will continue to do great things," Grand View University Esports Director Nathan Ragsdell said.
Mark "Nightstar" Gonzalez post-series interview:
Full NECC Grand Finals Match | Grand View v. Fisher
