The Gaming Knights beat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from Troy, N.Y., to reach the finals, but lost 4-2 in a best of seven series to the University of Akron for the championship.

Rocket League is a video game in which three competitors from each team play soccer with cars. The two teams compete in a five-minute game to score the most goals. Players use their skills to make the animated cars do aerial and on-the-ground tricks to get a shot on goal.

The team won the southern regional competition to reach the finals by beating teams including Auburn, LSU and USF on the way to winning $7,500.

This is the first year for the Rocket League National Championships. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Gaming Knights esports director Kevin Quiroga says the southern conference title proves the club is much more than students who sit around at home playing video games.

“It brings a lot of recognition to what we do and legitimizes what we are here for,” he says.

The competition was televised for two hours with peak viewership at more than 26,000, Quiroga says. Average viewership was more than 15,000.

A 2018 report in Forbes magazine estimates esports is expected to become a multi-billion dollar business this year. The Gaming Knights became an official member of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Sport Clubs Council in 2018.

Rocket League is a video game in which three competitors from each team play soccer with cars. The two teams compete in a five-minute game to score the most goals. Players use their skills to make the animated cars do aerial and on-the-ground tricks to get a shot on goal.

During the southern regional competition, the Knights went 14-2 and beat teams including Auburn, LSU and USF on the way to winning $7,500.

β€œPeople might see us as ‘nerds’ who play video games, but in reality we’re athletes for a sport we love.” –ΜύKevin Quiroga,ΜύGaming Knights esports director

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ will compete against three other regional winners at the ELEAGUE X Rocket League Game Zone at the NCAA Men’s Final Four Fan Fest on Sunday. Turner and IMG have partnered to produce premium ELEAGUE content with some competitions to be broadcast on TBS and TNT.

This is the first year for the Rocket League National Championships. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Gaming Knights esports director Kevin Quiroga says the southern conference title proves the club is much more than students who sit around at home playing video games.

“It brings a lot of recognition to what we do and legitimizes what we are here for,” he says. β€œPeople might see us as ‘nerds’ who play video games, but in reality we’re athletes for a sport we love.”

A 2018 report in Forbes magazine estimates esports is expected to become a multi-billion dollar business this year. The Gaming Knights became an official member of the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Sport Clubs Council in 2018.

Quiroga, a business administration major, says esports help build lasting connections and friendships and fuels the competitive spirit.

β€œWhen you want to build an esports community it’s a little more complex, because you have to find the right people, and right passion for the game,” he says.

Jan. 1 – ΜύAfter ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ completed their first perfect football season and a 34-27 defeat over Auburn at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, former ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ linebackerΜύShaquem Griffin ’16Μύadmires the championship trophy. Shaquem made history in April when he became the first one-handed player to be drafted in the NFL, joining his brotherΜύShaquill Griffin ’16Μύon the Seattle Seahawks’ team.

Jan. 21 – A student takes some time between classes to stretch out on Memory Mall.

Feb. 23 –ΜύEngineering graduate student Estefania Bohorquez ’17 shows off her aerial acrobatic skills.

March 14 – Studio art major John Currie ’18 works on a special portrait of John C. Hitt to honor his 26 years of service as ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s fourth president.

April 5 – Singer Jesse McCartney performs at CFE Arena during ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½estival’s concert night.

April 7 – This year, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ raised more than $1.5 million for Knight-Thon, an annual dance marathon that benefits Children’s Miracle Network.

April 13 – Director of jazz studies and Pegasus Professor Jeff Rupert conducts a performance during ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Celebrates the Arts.

May 1 – After a six-month closure, a cute pup takes a dip in the newly renovated Reflecting Pond, which now has a new foundation and color-changing LED lights. *Note: Dogs are not allowed in the water, so don’t try this on your own.

May 3 – During his final commencement ceremonies, former ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ President John C. Hitt conferred degrees to more than 8,100 students. In October of last year,ΜύHitt announced he would be stepping down from the presidency on June 30, 2018. Former ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ provost Dale Whittaker became the university’s fifth president on July 1.

June 5 – Senior studio art major Jenna Chastain works with clay during an art class in the Visual Arts building.

June 5 – ΜύWhile in a lab, aΜύstudent works on a project involving display screens and motorcycle helmets.

June 20 – Two students raced to the top of the Climbing Tower located in the .

June 29 – Construction on the new ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Downtown campus is underway and on schedule to open Fall 2019.

Aug. 2 – After partnering with two other institutions to manage the Arecibo Observatory earlier this year, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ President Dale Whittaker traveled to Puerto Rico for a visit to the facility.

July 27Μύ– An instructor at the demonstrates how to put out a fire during a cooking class.

Aug. 21 – Afternoon Florida storm clouds cover campus as students make their return during the first week of fall classes.

Sept. 5 – The sun rises over the Charging Knight statue outside ofΜύSpectrum Stadium.

Sept. 5 – Campus on a quiet morning.

Sept. 19 –ΜύAfter more than a year of waiting, popular local taco spot Gringos Locos opened its ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ location in Knights Plaza.

Sept. 21Μύ– The get ready to perform on the football field during half-time at the game against Florida Atlantic University.

Sept. 29 – Knightro and the cheer team entertain a packed stadium during ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s game against Pittsburg, which ended in a 45 – 14 win for the Knights.

Oct. 2 – During the evening, the Pegasus on the lights up the building.

Oct. 3 – After serving as ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s interim provost since April, Elizabeth A. Dooley has become the university’s provost and vice president for .

Oct. 30 – In August, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ partnered with the Nemours Children Hospital to create PEDS Academy, a program that provides specialized STEM education to children hospitalized at the facility.

Nov. 8 – Students light up CFE Arena during Homecoming 2018‘s Concert Knight, which featured performances from rapper A$AP Ferg and singer Ella Mai.

Nov. 9 – Students show off their excitement as they prepare to take part in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½’s biggest Homecoming tradition – .

Nov. 9 – During this year’s Spirit Splash, ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ President Dale Whittaker jumped into the Reflecting Pond alongside students. He promised take part in the tradition if 50,000 students would attend the first five home football games of the 2018 season – more than 55,000 students took on the challenge.

Dec. 1 – ΜύAfter joining Knight Nation this football season, makes an appearance at the American Athletic Conference Championship game, during which fans wore leis to show their support for injured quarterback McKenzie Milton. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Athletics gave out 40,000 leis to fans in the spirit of #10hana, a movement that started in the local community and on social media.

Dec. 1 – During theΜύAmerican Athletic Conference title game against Memphis,Μύ45,176 fans packed the stands as ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ secured a 56 -41 victory, extending their undefeated streak to 25 games and advancing them to the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2019.

The Owls started strong in the finals taking a 2-0 lead. The Knights came back, taking 3-2 lead late in the first half and never looked back. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ senior Andrew Goto said it was a perfect ending to his ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ experience. β€œThese past four have been the most unforgettable years of paintball,” he said.

The ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Paintball program is considered one of the top choices for amateur paintball players in the country. The Knights have compiled a 28-3-1 record at nationals in four years. The club won the national championship in its inaugural year of 2014, finished fourth overall in 2015, national runner up in 2016, and another championship this year.

Not only did ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ beat its main rival during nationals the team also experienced a little redemption against Texas A&M. The Aggies defeated the Knights in the 2016 national championship match and came into nationals as the odds-on favorite to defend the title. But the Knights controlled the quarterfinals match defeating the Aggies 8-4.

The Paintball title is the 30th national championship in ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ sport clubs history. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Recreation and Wellness Center coordinator, Andrea Snead, oversees the sport clubs program and said it’s a perfect way for students to get involved and feel like a Knight.

β€œThe students that join a club not only feel as though this is a way for them to be connected on campus, it also allows them to show their school spirit in a competitive atmosphere,” she said.

To see the final match between ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ and FAU click here: https://bit.ly/2oBxt9i. To watch the Knights defeat the Aggies, click here: https://bit.ly/2p8FMI9.

For more information on the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Recreation and Wellness Center and the sport clubs program, contact Snead at 407-823-2408 or andrea.snead@ucf.edu.

President John C. Hitt led the dedication, saying β€œ[To] the entire Davis family, you have our deepest gratitude for all that you have done – and continue to do – to advance the great university that your family helped establish.”

ΜύThe Davis family has continued to support ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ over the decades, most recently establishing scholarships in the College of Business Administration and the College of Medicine. Their contribution to the Recreation and Wellness program within the Office of Student Development and Enrollment Services is the first endowment to support that program. Because it is an endowed fund, it will provide support to the program for Knights of today and tomorrow.

Μύ

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s Tatianne DeAraujo won her third consecutive tournament Most Valuable Player award and was the defensive star of the women’s bracket. DeAraujo and teammate Megan O’Hara both took home All-Tournament Team honors. O’Hara threw for a 28-yard score to her sister Kaitlin and DeAraujo added a 16-yard touchdown in the championship game. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Men’s, Women’s and CoRec flag football teams have now won 14 national titles since the first tournament in 1979, the most flag football titles of any school.

Rainy and cold weather made pool play tougher than in years past. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, known for big plays in the passing game, instead used a heavy dose of the run and shorter passes to go undefeated throughout pool and championship play. Check on It head coach Brandon Baroody says the adjustments were the key to winning early in the tournament, β€œOne of the games (in pool play against Texas State) it was really windy and rainy and our girls were noticeably shaking. We couldn’t throw or catch the ball, so we really had to fight to win that game in overtime.”

Baroody is a ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ alumnus and a member of the National Collegiate Flag Football Championships Hall of Fame. He has now won 11 national championships as a player or coach with ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½. He says the players deserve all the credit, β€œI started playing flag football for fun. I built relationship with friends and that transitioned me into coaching. If I didn’t have dedicated girls who want to compete, I probably wouldn’t still be coaching.”

DeAraujo, is the third ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ student to win multiple MVP awards and the first woman to accomplish that feat. She credits the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Intramural Sports experience with giving her the opportunity to compete. β€œMy particular ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ intramural sports experience allowed me to learn key skills like working together in a group, executing under pressure, and being patient and not giving up no matter the circumstances,” she said. She is the 19th Knight to win the MVP award at the national tournament. Her all-tournament honors along with O’Hara’s means ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ has now had 47 All-Americans in the tournament’s history.

ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Intramural Sports are part of ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s Recreation and Wellness Center, funded and supported by the Student Government Association.

In other flag football news, the National Collegiate Flag Football Championships Hall of Fame enshrined ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ alumna Leisha Cavallaro β€˜11 into the Hall of Fame during a ceremony last month in Pensacola. She joins Nick Brigati, a former ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ IM Sports graduate assistant, as the only two ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Knights in the Hall of Fame for officiating. Two other Knights, Brandon Baroody β€˜12 and Drew Hill ’11, are in the NCFFC Hall of Fame as players.

Quick thinking, strategically based decision making and confidence and humility are all attributes Cavallaro said she learned while playing flag football and working at the Recreation and Wellness Center.

β€œI gained the ability to logically and strategically think through situations to respond in a more efficient manner especially in stressful situations. Everything I learned (as an ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ RWC staff member and official) has rolled over into my personal and professional life even now, six years after I graduated,” said Cavallaro.

Cavallaro was a successful flag football official and player during her time at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½. Her accomplishments on the flag football field include:

Cavallaro, Steve Anderson (2002 and 2003) and Brandon Schwab (2012 and 2013) are the only ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Knights to receive All-American Official honors in consecutive years in Flag Football. Anderson and Schwab are now enjoying success as basketball officials. Anderson is a fulltime NBA referee and Schwab is in the NBA Development league.

Several groups around the campus are collecting toys, blankets, gift cards and miscellaneous items to share with others in the community:

The Veterans Academic Resource Center is collecting at the resource center’s lobby (Suite 100 in the CFE Arena) or the first floor of the John C. Hitt Library by 10 a.m. Dec. 15.

The ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Police Department and the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Staff Council are collecting toys at a box at the police department through Dec. 13. (The department also is storing items already collected by the Learning Institute for Elders.)

The Recreation and Wellness Center will have a collection box in the main lobby by the administration office through Dec. 12.

The College of Sciences will have a box in the dean’s office through Dec. 12.

This is the third time this year the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Recreation and Wellness Center is celebrating a club team national championship. ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ has now won 14 club national championships since 2004.

The club trains at The Orlando Watersports Complex off State Road 528 between the Florida Mall and Orlando International Airport. Team members use a short and wide board to perform maneuvers in and above the water while riding behind a boat or on cables at a waterpark.

During the championships, each team had eight competitors go on three runs around the cable park. The runs consisted of two full laps around the park and included kickers at the beginning and the end of the runs. The kickers are ramps in the water and allow the wakeboarders to perform stunts in the air. Judges base each run on required skills each wakeboarder has to perform during the run.

Shawn Rysak, a junior from West Palm Beach and team president said the scoring rewards wakeboarders who rank the highest after the runs.

β€œEach rider gets their best of three runs recorded,” Rysak said. β€œThe team with the most points wins.”

Rysak, a business finance major at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½, was a casual wakeboarder while growing up in Knoxville, Tenn., and then in South Florida. He said he honed his skills after joining Knights Wake in 2014.

β€œYou don’t have to be good to join,” Rysak said. β€œNo one is watching, expecting you to throw any crazy tricks. I would say 75 percent of our club is made up of beginners, people who come out a couple of times per semester just to have fun.”

The ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Student Government Association funds sport clubs including some money for post-season travel, but the club members are responsible for raising most of the money on their own.Μύ The Wakeboarding Club raises most of its travel and competition money through T-shirt sales.

For more information on the program contact coordinator Andrea Snead at 407-823-2408 or email her at andrea.snead@ucf.edu.

The Korean military dispatched Jin, as his friends call him, to the United States and ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ in July 2015 with his 2-year-old son Jihoo and wife Mia. Captain Jin Park has been in the South Korean military for 14 years. He received an undergraduate degree at the Korean Military Academy (similar to West Point here in the U.S.) in environmental science. As part of his military career he’s pursuing his master’s degree in industrial engineering.

Jin learned about the RWC during the International Affairs and Global Strategies (IAGS) student orientation. He attended the RWC fall 2015 job fair after talking to a lifeguard after working out one day at the lap pool. He says working at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ has improved his overall campus experience, β€œI wanted to work here (Recreation and Wellness Center Aquatics) as a lifeguard to make friends and have experiences as a university man. I feel a kind of freedom here because I have never been to a university before.”

Jin says the move to ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ hasn’t been without its challenges. For example, the language barrier. Jin has studied English his entire life, but really focused on learning the language six months before moving here. He says limited exposure to English made the RWC lifeguard certification class difficult, but he studied hard to pass. He’s thrilled he got the job after trying out, β€œI’m so happy here because I’m doing what I want to do, as a University man, as a military man, I love studying. I love working as a lifeguard. I love to make new friends. I’m very happy here.”

Jin calls his job his favorite part of being a Knight. Though he’s been a military man for years he loves being a student here, β€œΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ is a growing university. It is one of the biggest universities because of the students (enrollment). So there is a bunch of opportunity to experience everything, so I can experience many sports clubs, study clubs, martial arts (clubs). Everything! I don’t have a lot of time, but there are great chances to experience so much. I love this.”

The NBA invited Mosher, a ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Intramural supervisor, to its Grassroots Officiating Camp. She is one of 48 people the league selected from across the country. The Grassroots program is the first step in the NBA’s evaluation process. Mosher and the other invitees are trying to earn a spot in the NBA’s Developmental League (D-League) program for referees. Four former Knights, Nelson Santiago, Vladimir Voyard-Tadal, John Conley and Ray Acosta are all officiating in the D-League.

Mosher says she’s been on cloud nine since league officials reached out to her, β€œWhen I received the official email, my smile grew from ear-to-ear. I am just so excited to go and soak up as much information as I can and implement it into my game. I feel like I should be nervous, but I’m more excited than anything.”

Two former Knights, Brent Barnaky and Steve Anderson, are full-time NBA officials. All seven officials came through the RWC’s Intramural Sports Officiating Training Program and the ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Basketball Officiating Class held every fall at the RWC.

RWC Associate Director of Programs Gary Cahen (a Division 1 College Football official), states ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ has a long tradition of developing officials, β€œOur success in developing sports officials is mostly a product of partnerships with our alumni, local community organizations and the various sports league we connect with. These resources and leaders in officiating help provide opportunities for current ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ students to learn what it takes to thrive as an official both on and off-campus.”

RWC Director Jim Wilkening runs the Basketball Officiating Class every fall, and says Barnaky andΜύ Anderson are keys to the success of the class when they come back to teach new officials, β€œThe Basketball Officials Class at ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ has experienced unprecedented success nationally. That of course is great but what makes it all come full circle is to watch NBA Referees and ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½ Alumni Brent Barnaky and Steve Anderson unselfish loyalty to the program by continue to give back with their time and talent.”

recently published a feature story on Barnaky, Anderson and ΒιΆΉΣ³»­΄«Γ½β€™s program. For more information on the IM Sports officiating program, contact the RWC’s Assistant Director of Intramural Sports Shane Land at: shane.land@ucf.edu.

For photos of Mosher, and NBA officials Brent Barnaky and Steve Anderson, click here.