Siena College
05/08/2026 | News release | Archived content
A Team of Legends
If you're unfamiliar with the popular online battle arena video game League of Legends, you likely don't know the difference between a nexus and a turret. You don't need to. This is a simple story of David vs. Goliath, and Siena played the role of David masterfully.
Four teams qualified for the League of Legends MAAC Championship at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. In the semifinals, Siena took care of Marist while Iona obliterated Fairfield. That set-up a championship best-of-three match between the Saints and the three-time defending champions.
Iona's seniors had never lost at the MAAC tournament, but they had a battle on their hands with Siena. The Saints wore the Gaels down during an opening game that lasted more than 30 minutes. 1-0 Siena. But, Iona responded by blowing the Saints out in the second game to set up a winner-take-all final match that Siena Esports president Paul Moloney III '27 called, "real cinematic stuff."
By the end of an epic battle, Iona was stymied in a way they've never experienced on this stage. The Saints were MAAC champions.
"When I first joined the team, and for the past three years, we were a bottom-tier team that couldn't make it past the first round," said Chester Gould '26. "For my senior year, however, none of us wanted our story to be one that let Iona be the titans that dominated the league for four years. By working on our teamwork, coordination, and overall attitudes, we became a squad that even though on paper the other team had the advantage to beat us, we would beat them by, even though it's cliché, the power of friendship."
"For me, winning this tournament was extremely special," said Adam Maxwell '26. "As a team, we have been putting in a lot of effort and time, and to finally bring a championship home for Siena means the world. This exact feeling is why I believe Esports, just like any sport, can be so transformative. While winning the MAAC is definitely amazing, I think we as a collective team realized that the true joy of it all was the experience and bond we created along the way."Added Liam Lawlor '26, " I am extremely proud of how we performed, and it goes to show the strength of the Siena community. This is definitely something I will hold dear to my heart many years after graduating."
Other team members, including subs and alumni, who contributed to this championship include: Adam Maxwell '26 (MVP), Albert Chhay '26, Ian Downer '26, Daniel Montilla '26, Toben Feltman '27, Travis Taylor '26, Luke Jennings '24, and Guilherme Arruda '24.
As for Moloney, there's one other person he'd like to thank, and he felt his presence in that epic third game.
Siena College published this content on May 08, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 20, 2026 at 19:24 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]