Northwestern Places Second in Rocket League Tournament

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – Building off of the success of their conference title last season, the Northwestern Rocket League team opened the year with a second-place finish at Mid-American Games Expo (MAGE) 2023.

The trio of Jaycob Robinson (Fr., Grimes, Iowa), Luke Lundquist (So., Valley, Neb.), and Brady Wynia (Sr., Orange City, Iowa) hit the sticks for the 10-team tournament, as the Raiders recorded their first-ever top-two finish at a LAN event.

Northwestern swept through pool play, winning 3-0 in each of their four matches. In their first win, facing Wayne State (Neb.), the Raiders bounced back against a Wildcat team that placed ahead of Northwestern at the Spring 2023 Morningside Invitational and the 2022 Rock the LAN tournament. The Raiders also defeated York (Neb.), Iowa Western CC, and Highland CC in the group stage.

In bracket play, Northwestern was victorious over Buena Vista, 3-1 to send them to the championship round. Robinson put together a standout performance in the five-game championship series, scoring the majority of Northwestern's goals, but the Raiders fell 4-1 to an unaffiliated opponent (2-3, 2-1, 1-2, 1-2, 1-2).

"MAGE was a great way to kick off the season for us," commented Director of Esports Cole Prescott. "It's extremely beneficial to face off against several solid teams early in the year like this. Our second-place finish at MAGE was simultaneously an awesome program milestone, a great confidence boost for this squad, and a valuable lesson that will motivate them to reach for even greater heights as we head into the regular season."

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

Brady Wynia: Junior

Luke Lundquist: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Brady Wynia
: Junior

Luke Lundquist
: Freshman