2017-18 PBC YEARBOOK
Peach Belt Conference to Join College League of Legends Season
THE PEACH BELT CONFERENCE AND RIOT GAMES , THE CREATOR OF LEAGUE OF LEGENDS , HAVE AN- NOUNCED A PARTNERSHIP TO ESTABLISH THE PEACH BELT LEAGUE OF LEGENDS CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THE SPRING OF 2018 .
AUGUSTA , GA – The Peach Belt Conference and Riot Games , the creator of League of Legends , have announced a partnership to establish the Peach Belt League of Legends championship for the spring of 2018 . The Peach Belt becomes the first NCAA conference to compete as part of the College League of Legends season .
“ This is a monumental day for the Peach Belt Conference and those students at our member schools who have dedicated themselves to making this endeavor a success ,” said PBC Commissioner David R . Brunk . “ We are very grateful to Riot Games for supporting us and giving us the opportunity to forge a new path for NCAA conferences .”
The PBC will hold its first College League of Legends regular season competition this month . Eight teams will advance to the Peach Belt League of Legends championship , an in-person tournament in March . The champion and finalist from that tournament will earn spots in the College Championship Play-In , with the opportunity to advance to the League of Legends College Championship , held in June at Riot ’ s NA LCS Arena in Los Angeles .
“ 2017 was a big year for College League of Legends and this partnership with the Peach Belt paves the way to make 2018 even bigger ,” said Michael Sherman , who leads Riot ’ s competitive college program . “ This gives players the same competitive experience as athletes in 15 other competitions - a big step toward making League of Legends a sport that lasts for generations .”
The PBC held its first League of Legends competition during the fall with a preseason schedule over five weeks . Seven conference schools participated ; the league will add more teams for the regular-season competition . The PBC announced its intention to begin esports competition last summer .
“ From the beginning , we understood that this was an opportunity to engage students at our member institutions who had no connection with our conference at all ,” said Brunk from the PBC offices in Augusta , Ga . “ The Peach Belt Conference has always been
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