Three members of the West Virginia University Rocket League team have qualified to participate in this weekend’s North American main event of the Rocket League Championship Series.
RLCS is the premier professional Rocket League competition, running major tournaments with the best Rocket League players across the world. Junior Jarret “Angel” Birch, sophomore Ryan “Tool” Futral and freshman Matt “Daunt” Ehresman all currently play on RLCS teams that won enough games during last week’s qualifiers to reach this weekend’s top 16 main event.
WVU is one of just four colleges in the country to have all three of its Rocket League starters qualify for a main event so far this season.
“It feels amazing to be back in the main event after such a long offseason,” Birch said. “It feels good to prove we’re still a top 16 team in North America. It shows we go above and beyond just being a Collegiate Rocket League school here at WVU.”
Birch and Futral currently play for Incorrect, a team in which they are coached by WVU Esports assistant coach Nico “Evil” Zimmowitch, while Ehresman plays for Leftovers.
On Friday (Feb. 16), the 16 teams remaining in North America will begin Swiss Stage play. Swiss Stage is a tournament format in which teams play against opponents with the same record as them until eight teams win three matches and move on to the quarterfinals or lose three and are eliminated from the competition.
“It’s awesome to see all three of us make the main event. WVU has really helped us grow as players on and off the field, and it shows with both of our teams,” Futral said.
“I’ve gotten to the point where I feel like we should be making the main event every time, and it feels good to be able to achieve that. Now it’s time to see how far we can keep going.”
Futral and Birch played for Zero2One last season and made two main events, but this is the first time for Ehresman being at this stage in a major professional tournament.
“Making a regional like this is the goal I’ve had since I learned about it, and I’ve been working toward this for more than five years now. It’s great to see the continuous grind pay off and hopefully this momentum will continue to carry me further in my development as a player and person,” Ehresman said.
“It shows you how much our program is willing to invest time and effort into the players. It’s helped me develop and has already given all of us so many resources to use — in and out of the classroom — that helps us balance class and student life with where we want to go in Rocket League.”
The next round begins at 1 p.m. Friday (Feb. 16). Tune in to watch live at twitch.tv/wvuesports1 and follow @WVUEsports on X for updates throughout the weekend.