michael duhn accepts trophy

Michael Duhn of Griffon Esports accepts the PBC Valorant Player of the Year Award in Florence, South Carolina.

Oct. 26, 2022–Fresh off appearances in the Peach Belt Championships and boasting a newly crowned conference Player of the Year, Griffon Esports at Missouri Western State University will host its semi-annual 24-hour charity livestream beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, originating from the Griffon Esports Arena in Blum Student Union.

The livestream will be carried on Griffon Esports’ Twitch channel, twitch.tv/Griffon_Esports. Each semester, Griffon Esports partners with Extra Life to benefit Childrens’ Miracle Network Hospitals. Viewers will be asked to contribute via the Extra Life website at griff.vn/ExtraLife.  

Students will not only be playing the games on the livestream, but will oversee all aspects of the production. Several Missouri Western administrators will be special guests for one-on-one Rocket League matches Friday: President Dr. Elizabeth Kennedy will take on Darrel Morrison, vice president for finance and administration, at 9:30 a.m., and Chris Dunn, chief of staff, will face Becky Dunn, chief communications officer at 10:30 a.m.

The livestream comes less than a week after Griffon Esports competed in the Peach Belt Fall Esports Championships in Florence, South Carolina Oct. 21 and 22. It was the conference’s first championships for two titles, Valorant and Rocket League.

The Griffon Rocket League team went 1-2, beating North Georgia 3-0, then losing to undefeated top seed Florida Southern 2-3 (the eventual champion) and to Kennesaw State 2-3 in the lower bracket.

Valorant went 2-2 with a 2-0 win over Lander in the first round and a loss to undefeated top seed Converse (the eventual champion) 0-2 in the second. The Griffons won their lower bracket match versus Kennesaw State 2-1, but fell in the semi-final against Columbus State 1-2.

Griffon Michael Duhn, senior accounting major from St. Joseph, was awarded the Valorant Player of the Year award.

Missouri Western State University is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit missouriwestern.edu.