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Meet your fellow Blue Hawks! -  Xavier Patterson – Esports Graduate Assistant

Meet your fellow Blue Hawks is a bi-weekly column, highlighting other Blue Hawks on campus and in the community! If you or someone you know would like to be featured, please email dsu.communications@dickinsonstate.edu.

• Hey Xavier! Where are you from?
  • Ansgar, Iowa! I attended St. Ansgar High School and was on the founding League of Legends program at my high school! We were also co-champions in the first ever Top of Iowa Conference League of Legends tournament!
• When did you start gaming and when did you fully get into Esports competitively?
  • Originally, I started gaming when I was just seven years old by playing Mario Kart on the Nintendo 64 (didn’t we all!). I began my Esports career in 2014 when I started playing League of Legends with a friend group and watching professional gaming.
• So, we hear you were an avid gamer before coming to DSU. Where did you play and how did you do?
  • Yes! I received my bachelor's degree from Waldorf University (Forest City, Iowa) and I spent four years as a collegiate player and administrator for the Esports program. As a player on the League of Legends team, we won the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) during the 2023 spring season and qualified for the NECC National Championship two years in a row – claiming top 10 finishes both years. As a player in Overwatch, I earned a 3^rd place finish at the Grand View Invitational and had the opportunity to played and learn from a Top 500 roster. As an administrator, I served as an interim director of esports in two stints – during the summer of 2020 and again in the summer of 2022. I also served as an Esports management assistant from 2020-23.
• Okay, so now tell us what is your favorite game to play and why?
  • My all-time favorite game to play is the Mario Kart line of games, as it was a great game to play with friends and was my first real competitive game – even if it was just with friends!
• What is your favorite thing about being on an Esports team?
  • The camaraderie and team-building aspect is very important to me! Especially coming from a background of watching and playing traditional sports, it’s amazing to have that same feeling and bond in the Esports realm as well. Additionally, creating a narrative that Esports is just as competitive in nature as traditional sports, too!
• Why did you choose DSU to further your education and be a part of the Blue Hawk Esports squad?
  • I chose DSU to further my skills and expand my knowledge as a sports administrator and professional in the pursuit of a career in the Esports industry. In addition, I chose DSU so I can learn and compete under new mentors, gaining insights into new perspectives and ideas within the industry that I can use to advance my career.
• What are you most excited to bring to the Blue Hawk Esports program? Both as an athlete and a graduate assistant?
  • As a graduate assistant, I am excited to create a competitive and developmental environment where our student-athletes can compete at the highest level of collegiate Esports, while giving them the resources and tools to build their careers for post-graduation. Additionally, my goal is to create opportunities for student workers in the Esports program to gain valuable real-world and relevant work experience, building their resumes and portfolios and giving them the best opportunity for career development post-grad. As an athlete, I want to not only develop my own personal, mental, and mechanical skills, but also uphold the competitive ideals and help the team be successful in accolades! Hawks are up!