Crawford claims third ECAC Madden National Championship

Esports senior Doug Crawford earned his third ECAC Madden National Championship on Wednesday night. The tournament also featured Muskie junior Owen Hively who finished in second place, and junior Justin Adams who tallied a third place finish. 

On Wednesday night, Crawford and Hively made history by becoming the first set of competitors to compete in the ECAC Madden National Championship from the same school. In the best-of-five championship series, Hively got out to a fast start with a 24-17 overtime win in game one. Despite Hively's early momentum, Crawford managed to bounce back with a narrow 42-34 win in game two. Not looking back, Crawford claimed game three 28-7 and game four 21-6 to secure the crown. Crawford now has three ECAC Madden National Championships, and he's won two consecutive championships dating back to the title he won during the 2022 fall season. 

Crawford finishes the season with a perfect 13-0 record, including an undefeated 8-0 mark in the regular season. Hively's magical run to the championship series comes to an end with a record of 10-3. Hively finished 6-2 in the regular season to earn the seventh seed in the tournament. On his road to the championship, Hively defeated the second and third overall seeds to punch his ticket in the finals. The third overall seed was held by Muskie junior Justin Adams, who finished the regular season 6-2 as well. Adams defeated Southeastern 3-1 on Wednesday night to claim third place in the championship. This marks the first time in tournament history that the top three finishers have all come from the same school.

The Muskingum esports program now has five overall ECAC National Championships. The Muskies have won three in Madden and two in Fortnite.