Bigger Field, New Game: Inside DivisionONE's Year Two

The second year of DivisionONE started last Tuesday with the introduction of a new competitive game alongside League of Legends and VALORANT. That game is Psyonix’s Rocket League. Multiple teams now span three games this season along with nine universities ready to compete. Introducing the arrival of six new and three returning universities for Year 2 of DivisionONE.

New Arrivals

Ball State University (BSU Cardinals) - Muncie, Indiana

Participating in League of Legends, VALORANT

Ball State University is the only Indiana university to hold Carnegie’s “Triple Crown” classifications for excellence and, now, their collegiate esports teams are joining DivisionONE’s League of Legends and VALORANT tournaments. While these are the only games they have teams for in the tournament, the program itself, which was started in 2021, has additional teams for Overwatch 2, Rocket League, and SIM Racing. Students can also get a Bachelor’s concentration in Esports Production and Streaming by producing content for the university’s varsity esports program. It’s only the beginning for them in this competition.

To learn more about esports at Ball State University, click here.

East Tennessee State University (ETSU Buccaneers) - Johnson City, Tennessee

Participating in VALORANT

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers are here to shake up DivisionONE’s VALORANT tournament. ETSU has Tennessee’s largest public Academic Health Sciences Center where they train the largest number of residents in Tennessee. Their esports program was founded in Fall 2019 and has since grown as they compete in national tournaments. They have five titles they play under: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, VALORANT, Overwatch 2, Rocket League, and IRacing, with the latter being individual instead of a team competition. The Cave is their esports facility that houses a training room and an arena that has a 32 foot video wall for events. ETSU also supports students that are interested in esports with their Esports Management Online Certificate. Stick around to catch their games.

To learn more about esports at East Tennessee State University, click here.

Grand Canyon University (GCU Antelopes) - Phoenix, Arizona

Participating in League of Legends, Rocket League, VALORANT

With Grand Canyon University’s flexibility in their online degree programs, it’s no wonder that their esports teams have joined all three of DivisionONE’s online Year Two tournaments. They have taken big steps into the collegiate esports space with their recent performance during their first Mountain West tournament in the 2025-2026 season and their VALORANT team participating in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) back in 2023. GCU also builds their community with events like Fire Fox Fridays and high school esports competitions for a chance at Grand Canyon scholarships. New universities joining high-level collegiate esports always have a chance to shake up the competition.

To learn more about esports at Grand Canyon University, click here.

Grand View University (GVU Vikings) - Des Moines, Iowa

Participating in League of Legends

Grand View University is here to flex their skills in DivisionONE’s League of Legends competition after their recent tournament wins. They won fourth place at the Collegiate League of Legends (cLoL) and first place at the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) national championship tournaments that both happened this year. It's a strong League of Legends team that is going to shake up the rankings. They also have teams participating in Overwatch, Rocket League, Fortnite, Apex Legends, VALORANT, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate within their program. GVU scholarship opportunities are available for their varsity, junior varsity, and club esports teams. They’ve already scored their first win, so stay tuned to follow how they do going forward.

To learn more about esports at Grand View University, click here.

Keiser University (KU Seahawks) - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Participating in League of Legends, Rocket League, VALORANT

Keiser University is DivisionONE’s first private, not-for-profit university to participate in any of its tournaments. Their student-first approach and social mobility is a big benefit for their esports teams. Other games they compete in are Marvel Rivals, Overwatch, Call of Duty, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on the varsity level. Their Rocket League team has come off of participating in the Collegiate Rocket League - Open Qualifier 2 in September 2026. Now, Keiser University is showing that they won’t go down without a fight.

To learn more about esports at Keiser University, click here.

Wichita State University (WSU Shockers) - Wichita, Kansas

Participating in League of Legends, Rocket League, VALORANT

Wichita State University is known for its renowned research facilities, centers, and institutes, so it makes sense that their esports teams are joining DivisionONE from their state-of-the-art Esports Hub. Along with the tournament titles, WSU competes competitively in Call of Duty and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Students that make those teams get scholarship opportunities. They’ve already had a close win in League of Legends, so keep an eye out for them.

To learn more about esports at Wichita State University, click here.

Returning Universities

Maryville University (MU Saints) - St. Louis, Missouri

Participating in League of Legends, Rocket League, VALORANT

Last year’s DivisionONE Champion returns this year, participating in all three games. Familiar faces mix with new students as their League of Legends team is coming off of a 2nd place LCS Promotional Tournament placement and previous competitors going-pro over the summer. It’ll be exciting to see if Maryville University can defend their DivisionONE titles in League of Legends and VALORANT and how they’ll fare in the new title, Rocket League.

To learn more about esports at Maryville University, click here.

Stony Brook University (SBU Seawolves) - Stony Brook, New York

Participating in League of Legends, Rocket League, VALORANT

Stony Brook University rejoins DivisionONE after making it to playoffs in both League of Legends and VALORANT last year. Now, GIA, one of their VALORANT players, has joined Cloud9 Game Changers while still being a student. Stay tuned to see how far Stony Brook University can go as they compete in all three DivisionONE games.

To learn more about esports at Stony Brook University, click here.

Winthrop University (WU Eagles) - Rock Hill, South Carolina

Participating in League of Legends, Rocket League, VALORANT

Winthrop University is back for Year Two to try and catch the championship this time. They have a mostly new League of Legends roster with only Telemachus going from sub to main roster. Some players from last year’s starting roster are now subs, so we’ll see how that changes their strategy. They’ve also had a couple players go pro over the summer. Winthrop University is set to compete in all three games this year.

To learn more about esports at Winthrop University, click here.

With the new arrival of six new universities participating in year two of DivisionONE alongside three strong competitors from last year, it’ll be a sight to see who comes out on top. Find out more about the universities and their roster on the DivisionONE website and catch all the games on Twitch.