On Tuesday, the East Coast Conference released its Esports Most Outstanding Player and All-Conference Awards for the four games the conference competes in during the fall semester (Rocket League, Super Smash Bros., Valorant and Overwatch).
St. Thomas Aquinas College Esports gamer, Nicholas Shalaba was named Most Outstanding Player and an All-Conference First Team selection for Super Smash Bros.
Shalaba (So./Clarkstown, N.Y.) led the Spartans to their second Esports Championship (first with the ECC), beating the New York Tech. Cybears in a thrilling Best-of-Five Series, 3-2. In the series, Shalaba took an early lead, winning game one, but then NYIT evened out the match winning the second game. After STAC posted a game three victory, New York Tech. forced a winner take all game five, where Shalaba was able to be victorious and capture the championship. Shalaba had difficulty with taking some damage from his opponent’s combos in games two through four, but he came out more patient in deciding game and it was all the difference in winning the matchup.
"Nicholas has been a big plus for the Smash team at STAC, now earning STAC's first ECC Esports title in program history", said Head Coach Tom Bonacum. "While he feels that there's a lot he can improve on, he is committed to getting better in preparation for the next season. We are excited about his future here."