The Gaming Knights beat Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute from Troy, N.Y., to reach the finals, but lost 4-2 in a best of seven series to the University of Akron for the championship.

Rocket League is a video game in which three competitors from each team play soccer with cars. The two teams compete in a five-minute game to score the most goals. Players use their skills to make the animated cars do aerial and on-the-ground tricks to get a shot on goal.

The team won the southern regional competition to reach the finals by beating teams including Auburn, LSU and USF on the way to winning $7,500.

This is the first year for the Rocket League National Championships. 麻豆原创 Gaming Knights esports director Kevin Quiroga says the southern conference title proves the club is much more than students who sit around at home playing video games.

“It brings a lot of recognition to what we do and legitimizes what we are here for,鈥� he says.

The competition was televised for two hours with peak viewership at more than 26,000, Quiroga says. Average viewership was more than 15,000.

A 2018 report in Forbes magazine estimates esports is expected to become a multi-billion dollar business this year. The Gaming Knights became an official member of the 麻豆原创 Sport Clubs Council in 2018.

Rocket League is a video game in which three competitors from each team play soccer with cars. The two teams compete in a five-minute game to score the most goals. Players use their skills to make the animated cars do aerial and on-the-ground tricks to get a shot on goal.

During the southern regional competition, the Knights went 14-2 and beat teams including Auburn, LSU and USF on the way to winning $7,500.

鈥淧eople might see us as ‘nerds’ who play video games, but in reality we’re athletes for a sport we love.鈥� 鈥撎齂evin Quiroga,听Gaming Knights esports director

麻豆原创 will compete against three other regional winners at the ELEAGUE X Rocket League Game Zone at the NCAA Men鈥檚 Final Four Fan Fest on Sunday. Turner and IMG have partnered to produce premium ELEAGUE content with some competitions to be broadcast on TBS and TNT.

This is the first year for the Rocket League National Championships. 麻豆原创 Gaming Knights esports director Kevin Quiroga says the southern conference title proves the club is much more than students who sit around at home playing video games.

“It brings a lot of recognition to what we do and legitimizes what we are here for,鈥� he says. 鈥淧eople might see us as ‘nerds’ who play video games, but in reality we’re athletes for a sport we love.鈥�

A 2018 report in Forbes magazine estimates esports is expected to become a multi-billion dollar business this year. The Gaming Knights became an official member of the 麻豆原创 Sport Clubs Council in 2018.

Quiroga, a business administration major, says esports help build lasting connections and friendships and fuels the competitive spirit.

鈥淲hen you want to build an esports community it鈥檚 a little more complex, because you have to find the right people, and right passion for the game,鈥� he says.

Jan. 1 鈥� 听After 麻豆原创 completed their first perfect football season and a 34-27 defeat over Auburn at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, former 麻豆原创 linebacker听Shaquem Griffin 鈥�16听admires the championship trophy. Shaquem made history in April when he became the first one-handed player to be drafted in the NFL, joining his brother听Shaquill Griffin 鈥�16听on the Seattle Seahawks’ team.

Jan. 21 – A student takes some time between classes to stretch out on Memory Mall.

Feb. 23 鈥撎鼸ngineering graduate student Estefania Bohorquez ’17 shows off her aerial acrobatic skills.

March 14 鈥� Studio art major John Currie ’18 works on a special portrait of John C. Hitt to honor his 26 years of service as 麻豆原创’s fourth president.

April 5 鈥� Singer Jesse McCartney performs at CFE Arena during 麻豆原创estival’s concert night.

April 7 鈥� This year, 麻豆原创 raised more than $1.5 million for Knight-Thon, an annual dance marathon that benefits Children’s Miracle Network.

April 13 鈥� Director of jazz studies and Pegasus Professor Jeff Rupert conducts a performance during 麻豆原创 Celebrates the Arts.

May 1 鈥� After a six-month closure, a cute pup takes a dip in the newly renovated Reflecting Pond, which now has a new foundation and color-changing LED lights. *Note: Dogs are not allowed in the water, so don’t try this on your own.

May 3 鈥� During his final commencement ceremonies, former 麻豆原创 President John C. Hitt conferred degrees to more than 8,100 students. In October of last year,听Hitt announced he would be stepping down from the presidency on June 30, 2018. Former 麻豆原创 provost Dale Whittaker became the university’s fifth president on July 1.

June 5 鈥� Senior studio art major Jenna Chastain works with clay during an art class in the Visual Arts building.

June 5 鈥� 听While in a lab, a听student works on a project involving display screens and motorcycle helmets.

June 20 鈥� Two students raced to the top of the Climbing Tower located in the .

June 29 鈥� Construction on the new 麻豆原创 Downtown campus is underway and on schedule to open Fall 2019.

Aug. 2 鈥� After partnering with two other institutions to manage the Arecibo Observatory earlier this year, 麻豆原创 President Dale Whittaker traveled to Puerto Rico for a visit to the facility.

July 27听鈥� An instructor at the demonstrates how to put out a fire during a cooking class.

Aug. 21 鈥� Afternoon Florida storm clouds cover campus as students make their return during the first week of fall classes.

Sept. 5 – The sun rises over the Charging Knight statue outside of听Spectrum Stadium.

Sept. 5 鈥� Campus on a quiet morning.

Sept. 19 鈥撎�After more than a year of waiting, popular local taco spot Gringos Locos opened its 麻豆原创 location in Knights Plaza.

Sept. 21听鈥� The get ready to perform on the football field during half-time at the game against Florida Atlantic University.

Sept. 29 鈥� Knightro and the cheer team entertain a packed stadium during 麻豆原创’s game against Pittsburg, which ended in a 45 – 14 win for the Knights.

Oct. 2 鈥� During the evening, the Pegasus on the lights up the building.

Oct. 3 鈥� After serving as 麻豆原创’s interim provost since April, Elizabeth A. Dooley has become the university’s provost and vice president for .

Oct. 30 鈥� In August, 麻豆原创 partnered with the Nemours Children Hospital to create PEDS Academy, a program that provides specialized STEM education to children hospitalized at the facility.

Nov. 8 鈥� Students light up CFE Arena during Homecoming 2018‘s Concert Knight, which featured performances from rapper A$AP Ferg and singer Ella Mai.

Nov. 9 鈥� Students show off their excitement as they prepare to take part in 麻豆原创’s biggest Homecoming tradition 鈥� .

Nov. 9 鈥� During this year’s Spirit Splash, 麻豆原创 President Dale Whittaker jumped into the Reflecting Pond alongside students. He promised take part in the tradition if 50,000 students would attend the first five home football games of the 2018 season 鈥� more than 55,000 students took on the challenge.

Dec. 1 鈥� 听After joining Knight Nation this football season, makes an appearance at the American Athletic Conference Championship game, during which fans wore leis to show their support for injured quarterback McKenzie Milton. 麻豆原创 Athletics gave out 40,000 leis to fans in the spirit of #10hana, a movement that started in the local community and on social media.

Dec. 1 鈥� During the听American Athletic Conference title game against Memphis,听45,176 fans packed the stands as 麻豆原创 secured a 56 -41 victory, extending their undefeated streak to 25 games and advancing them to the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2019.

The Owls started strong in the finals taking a 2-0 lead. The Knights came back, taking 3-2 lead late in the first half and never looked back. 麻豆原创 senior Andrew Goto said it was a perfect ending to his 麻豆原创 experience. 鈥淭hese past four have been the most unforgettable years of paintball,鈥� he said.

The 麻豆原创 Paintball program is considered one of the top choices for amateur paintball players in the country. The Knights have compiled a 28-3-1 record at nationals in four years. The club won the national championship in its inaugural year of 2014, finished fourth overall in 2015, national runner up in 2016, and another championship this year.

Not only did 麻豆原创 beat its main rival during nationals the team also experienced a little redemption against Texas A&M. The Aggies defeated the Knights in the 2016 national championship match and came into nationals as the odds-on favorite to defend the title. But the Knights controlled the quarterfinals match defeating the Aggies 8-4.

The Paintball title is the 30th national championship in 麻豆原创 sport clubs history. 麻豆原创 Recreation and Wellness Center coordinator, Andrea Snead, oversees the sport clubs program and said it鈥檚 a perfect way for students to get involved and feel like a Knight.

鈥淭he students that join a club not only feel as though this is a way for them to be connected on campus, it also allows them to show their school spirit in a competitive atmosphere,鈥� she said.

To see the final match between 麻豆原创 and FAU click here: https://bit.ly/2oBxt9i. To watch the Knights defeat the Aggies, click here: https://bit.ly/2p8FMI9.

For more information on the 麻豆原创 Recreation and Wellness Center and the sport clubs program, contact Snead at 407-823-2408 or andrea.snead@ucf.edu.

President John C. Hitt led the dedication, saying 鈥淸To] the entire Davis family, you have our deepest gratitude for all that you have done 鈥� and continue to do 鈥� to advance the great university that your family helped establish.鈥�

听The Davis family has continued to support 麻豆原创 over the decades, most recently establishing scholarships in the College of Business Administration and the College of Medicine. Their contribution to the Recreation and Wellness program within the Office of Student Development and Enrollment Services is the first endowment to support that program. Because it is an endowed fund, it will provide support to the program for Knights of today and tomorrow.

听

麻豆原创鈥檚 Tatianne DeAraujo won her third consecutive tournament Most Valuable Player award and was the defensive star of the women鈥檚 bracket. DeAraujo and teammate Megan O鈥橦ara both took home All-Tournament Team honors. O鈥橦ara threw for a 28-yard score to her sister Kaitlin and DeAraujo added a 16-yard touchdown in the championship game. 麻豆原创 Men鈥檚, Women鈥檚 and CoRec flag football teams have now won 14 national titles since the first tournament in 1979, the most flag football titles of any school.

Rainy and cold weather made pool play tougher than in years past. 麻豆原创, known for big plays in the passing game, instead used a heavy dose of the run and shorter passes to go undefeated throughout pool and championship play. Check on It head coach Brandon Baroody says the adjustments were the key to winning early in the tournament, 鈥淥ne of the games (in pool play against Texas State) it was really windy and rainy and our girls were noticeably shaking. We couldn鈥檛 throw or catch the ball, so we really had to fight to win that game in overtime.鈥�

Baroody is a 麻豆原创 alumnus and a member of the National Collegiate Flag Football Championships Hall of Fame. He has now won 11 national championships as a player or coach with 麻豆原创. He says the players deserve all the credit, 鈥淚 started playing flag football for fun. I built relationship with friends and that transitioned me into coaching. If I didn鈥檛 have dedicated girls who want to compete, I probably wouldn鈥檛 still be coaching.鈥�

DeAraujo, is the third 麻豆原创 student to win multiple MVP awards and the first woman to accomplish that feat. She credits the 麻豆原创 Intramural Sports experience with giving her the opportunity to compete. 鈥淢y particular 麻豆原创 intramural sports experience allowed me to learn key skills like working together in a group, executing under pressure, and being patient and not giving up no matter the circumstances,鈥� she said. She is the 19th Knight to win the MVP award at the national tournament. Her all-tournament honors along with O鈥橦ara鈥檚 means 麻豆原创 has now had 47 All-Americans in the tournament鈥檚 history.

麻豆原创 Intramural Sports are part of 麻豆原创鈥檚 Recreation and Wellness Center, funded and supported by the Student Government Association.

In other flag football news, the National Collegiate Flag Football Championships Hall of Fame enshrined 麻豆原创 alumna Leisha Cavallaro 鈥�11 into the Hall of Fame during a ceremony last month in Pensacola. She joins Nick Brigati, a former 麻豆原创 IM Sports graduate assistant, as the only two 麻豆原创 Knights in the Hall of Fame for officiating. Two other Knights, Brandon Baroody 鈥�12 and Drew Hill 鈥�11, are in the NCFFC Hall of Fame as players.

Quick thinking, strategically based decision making and confidence and humility are all attributes Cavallaro said she learned while playing flag football and working at the Recreation and Wellness Center.

鈥淚 gained the ability to logically and strategically think through situations to respond in a more efficient manner especially in stressful situations. Everything I learned (as an 麻豆原创 RWC staff member and official) has rolled over into my personal and professional life even now, six years after I graduated,鈥� said Cavallaro.

Cavallaro was a successful flag football official and player during her time at 麻豆原创. Her accomplishments on the flag football field include:

Cavallaro, Steve Anderson (2002 and 2003) and Brandon Schwab (2012 and 2013) are the only 麻豆原创 Knights to receive All-American Official honors in consecutive years in Flag Football. Anderson and Schwab are now enjoying success as basketball officials. Anderson is a fulltime NBA referee and Schwab is in the NBA Development league.

Several groups around the campus are collecting toys, blankets, gift cards and miscellaneous items to share with others in the community:

The Veterans Academic Resource Center is collecting at the resource center鈥檚 lobby (Suite 100 in the CFE Arena) or the first floor of the John C. Hitt Library by 10 a.m. Dec. 15.

The 麻豆原创 Police Department and the 麻豆原创 Staff Council are collecting toys at a box at the police department through Dec. 13. (The department also is storing items already collected by the Learning Institute for Elders.)

The Recreation and Wellness Center will have a collection box in the main lobby by the administration office through Dec. 12.

The College of Sciences will have a box in the dean鈥檚 office through Dec. 12.

This is the third time this year the 麻豆原创 Recreation and Wellness Center is celebrating a club team national championship. 麻豆原创 has now won 14 club national championships since 2004.

The club trains at The Orlando Watersports Complex off State Road 528 between the Florida Mall and Orlando International Airport. Team members use a short and wide board to perform maneuvers in and above the water while riding behind a boat or on cables at a waterpark.

During the championships, each team had eight competitors go on three runs around the cable park. The runs consisted of two full laps around the park and included kickers at the beginning and the end of the runs. The kickers are ramps in the water and allow the wakeboarders to perform stunts in the air. Judges base each run on required skills each wakeboarder has to perform during the run.

Shawn Rysak, a junior from West Palm Beach and team president said the scoring rewards wakeboarders who rank the highest after the runs.

鈥淓ach rider gets their best of three runs recorded,鈥� Rysak said. 鈥淭he team with the most points wins.鈥�

Rysak, a business finance major at 麻豆原创, was a casual wakeboarder while growing up in Knoxville, Tenn., and then in South Florida. He said he honed his skills after joining Knights Wake in 2014.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to be good to join,鈥� Rysak said. 鈥淣o one is watching, expecting you to throw any crazy tricks. I would say 75 percent of our club is made up of beginners, people who come out a couple of times per semester just to have fun.鈥�

The 麻豆原创 Student Government Association funds sport clubs including some money for post-season travel, but the club members are responsible for raising most of the money on their own.听 The Wakeboarding Club raises most of its travel and competition money through T-shirt sales.

For more information on the program contact coordinator Andrea Snead at 407-823-2408 or email her at andrea.snead@ucf.edu.

The Korean military dispatched Jin, as his friends call him, to the United States and 麻豆原创 in July 2015 with his 2-year-old son Jihoo and wife Mia. Captain Jin Park has been in the South Korean military for 14 years. He received an undergraduate degree at the Korean Military Academy (similar to West Point here in the U.S.) in environmental science. As part of his military career he鈥檚 pursuing his master鈥檚 degree in industrial engineering.

Jin learned about the RWC during the International Affairs and Global Strategies (IAGS) student orientation. He attended the RWC fall 2015 job fair after talking to a lifeguard after working out one day at the lap pool. He says working at 麻豆原创 has improved his overall campus experience, 鈥淚 wanted to work here (Recreation and Wellness Center Aquatics) as a lifeguard to make friends and have experiences as a university man. I feel a kind of freedom here because I have never been to a university before.”

Jin says the move to 麻豆原创 hasn鈥檛 been without its challenges. For example, the language barrier. Jin has studied English his entire life, but really focused on learning the language six months before moving here. He says limited exposure to English made the RWC lifeguard certification class difficult, but he studied hard to pass. He鈥檚 thrilled he got the job after trying out, 鈥淚鈥檓 so happy here because I鈥檓 doing what I want to do, as a University man, as a military man, I love studying. I love working as a lifeguard. I love to make new friends. I鈥檓 very happy here.鈥�

Jin calls his job his favorite part of being a Knight. Though he鈥檚 been a military man for years he loves being a student here, 鈥溌槎乖� is a growing university. It is one of the biggest universities because of the students (enrollment). So there is a bunch of opportunity to experience everything, so I can experience many sports clubs, study clubs, martial arts (clubs). Everything! I don鈥檛 have a lot of time, but there are great chances to experience so much. I love this.鈥�

The NBA invited Mosher, a 麻豆原创 Intramural supervisor, to its Grassroots Officiating Camp. She is one of 48 people the league selected from across the country. The Grassroots program is the first step in the NBA鈥檚 evaluation process. Mosher and the other invitees are trying to earn a spot in the NBA鈥檚 Developmental League (D-League) program for referees. Four former Knights, Nelson Santiago, Vladimir Voyard-Tadal, John Conley and Ray Acosta are all officiating in the D-League.

Mosher says she鈥檚 been on cloud nine since league officials reached out to her, 鈥淲hen I received the official email, my smile grew from ear-to-ear. I am just so excited to go and soak up as much information as I can and implement it into my game. I feel like I should be nervous, but I’m more excited than anything.鈥�

Two former Knights, Brent Barnaky and Steve Anderson, are full-time NBA officials. All seven officials came through the RWC鈥檚 Intramural Sports Officiating Training Program and the 麻豆原创 Basketball Officiating Class held every fall at the RWC.

RWC Associate Director of Programs Gary Cahen (a Division 1 College Football official), states 麻豆原创 has a long tradition of developing officials, 鈥淥ur success in developing sports officials is mostly a product of partnerships with our alumni, local community organizations and the various sports league we connect with. These resources and leaders in officiating help provide opportunities for current 麻豆原创 students to learn what it takes to thrive as an official both on and off-campus.鈥�

RWC Director Jim Wilkening runs the Basketball Officiating Class every fall, and says Barnaky and听 Anderson are keys to the success of the class when they come back to teach new officials, 鈥淭he Basketball Officials Class at 麻豆原创 has experienced unprecedented success nationally. That of course is great but what makes it all come full circle is to watch NBA Referees and 麻豆原创 Alumni Brent Barnaky and Steve Anderson unselfish loyalty to the program by continue to give back with their time and talent.鈥�

recently published a feature story on Barnaky, Anderson and 麻豆原创鈥檚 program. For more information on the IM Sports officiating program, contact the RWC鈥檚 Assistant Director of Intramural Sports Shane Land at: shane.land@ucf.edu.

For photos of Mosher, and NBA officials Brent Barnaky and Steve Anderson, click here.