University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s esports program achieved its most successful season to date in fall 2024, with standout performances across multiple competitive games and significant industry partnerships.
The Super Smash Bros. team excelled in the Mountain West Conference with an impressive 17-1 record and wins against Boise State, Washington State, Nevada, Utah State and the University of New Mexico. Despite dropping its only match to San Jose State in the grand finals, the team’s performance was groundbreaking.
The Counter-Strike 2 team also excelled, ranking third nationally in the PlayFly league. UH upset the third-seeded team and advanced to the semifinals, ultimately losing to second-seed Texas A&M after a competitive 1-2 series. The team finished third out of 31 national teams in the tournament.
The Rainbow Six Siege team secured an open playoff spot with a 5-2 regular season record and ranked 25th out of 64 teams in the Collegiate R6 playoffs.
“Competitively, we’ve had one of our best seasons to date, especially with our inclusion in the Mountain West Smash tournament,” UH Mānoa esports Program Director Nyle Sky Kauweloa. “Our Smash team went essentially unbeaten, and our Counter-Strike team is really on the up and up.”
Beyond its competitive success, the program expanded its industry connections. In summer 2024, students completed internships and study abroad practicums with Gen.G and T1 in South Korea. The university has sent more students to South Korean esports programs than any other college since 2023.
Nvidia also hired five UH Esports students and alumni after campus visits in April to work remotely on AI projects.
Looking ahead, the program will expand its Mountain West Conference participation in spring 2025, fielding teams in League of Legends, Overwatch and Valorant.
UH Esports receives funding from the Academy for Creative Media System. Visit the UH Esports team’s X and Discord pages. More stories on UH’s esports program.
