Michigan Tech Wins GLIAC’s Automatic Bid to CECC May Madness 2025

Stamford, CT – March 20, 2025 – Michigan Technological University (Michigan Tech) won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC) Esports Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournament, earning the conference’s automatic bid to the Collegiate Esports Commissioner’s Cup (CECC) May Madness.

CECC May Madness, established in 2022, gives 84 collegiate teams in four different game titles (Overwatch 2, Rocket League, Valorant, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) and 12 players in Street Fighter 6 a chance to face other schools from across North America. One team or player in each game is crowned national champion.

The GLIAC Esports Tournament, held in person on the campus of Purdue University Northwest in Hammond, Indiana, was a two-day tournament held on Feb. 15-16. It featured four game titles (Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Rocket League, Valorant, and League of Legends) and 27 teams from eight colleges: the hosts were Purdue University Northwest, Davenport University, Michigan Tech, Grand Valley State University, Saginaw Valley State University, Ferris State University, Roosevelt University, and Wayne State University.

The GLIAC Esports Tournament's lone automatic bid to CECC May Madness 2025 came from the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament. Michigan Tech went undefeated in play, only dropping one set out of ten total sets played throughout the upper bracket. In the grand finals, they swept No. 3 seed Davenport University 3-0.

“Congrats to Michigan Tech and all of the GLIAC squads on a big weekend of competition that continues to elevate their esports brand” said Mike Blewitt, SVP of Partnerships at Collegiate Sports Management Group, the creator and owner/operator of CECC May Madness. “Watching teams earn their way to CECC through hard-fought competition never gets old, and we look forward to bringing that fire to Texas this May. Thank you to Commissioner Dunbar, Josh Pickler, and the entire staff for partnering with us for years; we love seeing their continued growth in traditional sports and esports.”

In the other tournaments, Davenport won the Rocket League finals with a 4-1 series win over Grand Valley State and the Valorant finals with a 2-0 series win over Purdue University Northwest. The hosts of Purdue University Northwest would take the last finals win in League of Legends 2-0 over Roosevelt University.

“Having a direct bid to CECC May Madness for a second year is a tremendous opportunity for the GLIAC and its esports programs,” said Josh Pickler, Director of Video Operations and Communications for the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference. “It not only provides our teams with a national stage to showcase their talent but also further legitimizes collegiate esports within our conference. Over the past two years, we've seen increased engagement, competition, and growth in our esports programs, and this bid continues to elevate the profile of our student-athletes in the space.”

With the GLIAC championship win, Michigan Tech earned its bid to CECC May Madness 2025, which will take place May 2-4 at Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas. CECC May Madness is renowned as North America's largest in-person scholastic esports event. The 2024 event attracted over 4 million views and 4,100 attendees, and the upcoming 2025 event marks the fifth year of CECC's celebration of collegiate esports excellence.

About Collegiate Sports Management Group (CSMG):

CSMG is an integrated sports, entertainment, and media company committed to advancing traditional sports and esports through our EsportsU division. We are an experienced, trusted, results-driven team focused on the future of media rights, analytics, licensing, sponsorship sales, and recruiting. We also offer expertise in brand building, original content, and event production and management. CSMG empowers sports properties, brands, and video game publishers to succeed at the intersection of tech, sports, entertainment, and video games.

To learn more, visit us at https://collegiatesmg.com/

Article Written by:

Keegan Ohta

For media inquiries, please contact:

Mike Blewitt

SVP, Partnerships
mblewitt@collegiatesmg.com