Saints Esports recognized with 7 NACE awards

St. Clair College sees 9 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 in at Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, picking up 7 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. 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 2nd 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

9 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