Saint Mary’s Huskies Esports recognized at CAUBO national awards

Saint Mary's Huskies Esports was recognized with a national honour at the annual Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO) conference, held this week in Toronto, ON.

The project 'Athletics + Technology + Academics = The new equation of belonging: SMU Esports', was awarded an Honourable Mention at the 2023 CAUBO Quality and Productivity (Q&P) Awards.

"This prize acknowledges your project as a strong enabler of excellent student engagement," said Dave Button, Chair of the CAUBO Quality and Productivity Awards Selection Committee, in a release.

"I am honoured to accept this award on behalf of project leads Scott Gray (Saint Mary's Huskies Director of Athletics & Recreation) and Todd Williams (Chief Information Officer of Saint Mary's University)," said Michelle Benoit, Saint Mary's University Vice-President, Finance and Administration, who represented the Esports project team at the CAUBO conference.

The Saint Mary's Huskies Esports project was launched in June 2022 with the opening of the Huskies Esports Arena, a dedicated home for gaming for Saint Mary's students and the greater community.

The project involved the formation of four competitive Huskies Esports teams in various gaming titles (League of Legends, Valorant, Apex Legends and Rocket League), along with simultaneously offering an internal recreational opportunity for on-campus connection through gaming.

"What began as an idea to engage those students who are not otherwise involved in traditional varsity and club sports became a unique opportunity to enter into the world of Esports," added Benoit. "The idea was wholeheartedly embraced by Athletics, EIT, Academics and a number of other areas across the campus as they collaboratively joined forces to build this exciting new program that is already proving to both improve student experience and engagement. Our Esports Arena has in a very short period of time, attracted a lot of attention from media and from potential SMU students. I look forward to seeing this program strengthen as more students see this program as a prime opportunity to both pursue their academic goals while at the same time perform in an arena were they can also showcase their talents in either competitive or club Esports."

The Huskies Esports teams posted impressive results in several regional competitions, including Frag for Cancer in Halifax, NS, and Tomorrow LAN in Moncton, NB.

For more information on Huskies Esports, visit www.smuhuskies.ca/club/esports or follow @SMUHuskiesESports on Instagram