Two Schools from the Big Sky Conference Earn Bids to CECC May Madness 2025
Stamford, CT – February 10, 2025 – For the first time in Big Sky Conference history, two schools, California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State) and Northern Arizona University, earned bids to play in the upcoming Collegiate Esports Commissioners Cup (CECC) May Madness 2025 in Rocket League and, for the first time, Overwatch 2.
CECC May Madness, established in 2022, gives 84 teams in 4 different game titles (Overwatch 2, Rocket League, Valorant, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) and 8 players in Street Fighter 6, a chance to face other schools from across North America and one team or player in each game are crowned as national champions.
“The Big Sky Conference securing an auto-qualifying bid into CECC continues to mark a pivotal moment for collegiate esports, aligning it with the same competitive structure that has long defined traditional athletics. Just as Big Sky teams battle for national recognition in football and basketball, this bid ensures their esports programs have the same pathway to prove themselves on a national stage”, said Angela Bernhard Thomas, Chief Esports Officer at CSMG.
In 2023 and 2024, the Big Sky Conference received one bid in Rocket League, first taken by Weber State University in 2023 and by Northern Arizona in 2024. This year, Northern Arizona defended their title and won the bid by defeating Idaho State University in the Big Sky Conference CECC Qualifiers in a 4-1 series.
The Big Sky Conference also received its first bid for CECC May Madness in Overwatch 2 this year. Following the Rocket League finals on Saturday night, Sacramento State defeated the University of California, Davis in a 3-0 series sweep to earn the bid.
“We’re very proud of the position we’re in as a conference when it comes to esports, and it’s exciting to see our teams competing on such a high level,” Big Sky Conference Commissioner Tom Wistrcill said. “Across the board our goal as a league is to provide the best championship experiences we can, and ensure that also happens in esports has been a priority, so thank you to our friends at CSMG for making this all possible.”
Both schools will now travel to CECC May Madness, set to take place May 2-4 at Esports Stadium Arlington in Texas, renowned as the largest in-person scholastic esports event in North America. 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):
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About the Big Sky Conference:
Founded in 1963, the Big Sky Conference is a NCAA Division I conference competing in the Football Championship Subdivision. With nearly 150 teams representing 12 institutions in 15 sports (six men’s, nine women’s), the Big Sky prides itself on its “#ExperienceElevated” platform that emphasizes the unique traits and lifelong benefits that the conference and its member institutions provide to around 3,300 student-athletes each year.
The conference has 10 full members (Eastern Washington University; the University of Idaho; Idaho State University; the University of Montana; Montana State University; Northern Arizona University; the University of Northern Colorado; Portland State University; California State University, Sacramento; and Weber State University) located in eight states across the western United States, plus two football affiliate members (California Polytechnic State University and the University of California, Davis). Conference members have won 13 NCAA championships, including seven in football by five different members as well as six of the last nine Division I men’s cross country titles by NAU.
Article Written by:
Keegan Ohta
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