Let’s Get Ready to Rumble! The Mane Event Esport Tournament Set for April 21-22
Apr. 18, 2023
Michelle R. Eubanks , UNA, at meubanks@una.edu, 256.765.4392
FLORENCE, AL – Students from more than a dozen area high schools will descend on the University of North Alabama campus April 21-22 for the Spring Mane Event Esport Tournament in order to compete in a Rocket League bracket and an open tournament for individuals to compete in Super Smash Brothers Ultimate.
“We are excited about hosting the Spring ’23 Mane Event for high school teams and individual gamers,” said Mark Linder, a Lecturer in Sport and Recreation Management. “The UNA students are tremendously engaged in marketing and managing the tournament. With UNA launching an academic program in Esport, this tournament is a great experiential learning opportunity for our Sport and Recreation Management students.”
The Spring Mane Event is the second Esport tournament to take place at UNA; in Fall 2022, the University welcomed students for a two-day event in the Communication Building. This semester, the event will take place in the Guillot University Center, which, Linder said, will be better for spectator viewing.
Being on a University campus is a great opportunity for high school students to see that their passion for gaming can take root at UNA, according to Dr. Jean Ann Helm Allen, Chair of the Department of Kinesiology.
“This Esport tournament is giving these high school students a chance to play on a large stage, in an exciting environment, and gives them a window into the opportunities they would have as students at UNA,” she said. “For our current students, managing events like this gives them practical experience in the world of eSport as many of them are interested in career opportunities in this growing field.”
In addition to the tournaments, UNA is home to the North Alabama Gaming Club, whose members organize and manage the events. Academic programming for Esports is also offered through the Department of Kinesiology.
“If a student is interested in in gaming, UNA is the place for them,” said Julie Taylor, Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management. “Depending on a student’s competitiveness, we can plug them in to the right spot. UNA even provides a scholarship opportunity for a student’s participation in our Esports team.”
The Spring Mane Event tournament will take place from 4-10 p.m. on April 21 and from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. on April 22. Entry will be free for all attendees and spectators.
About The University of North Alabama
The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: una.edu and una.edu/unaworks/.