What is Dakota Collegiate Rocket League?
Dakota Collegiate Rocket League, also known as DCRL, is a semester-long, free-to-play tournament for all college students in North and South Dakota. Each season kicks off with a thrilling draft. All players are seeded by their rank and performance in the previous seasons. The top players are selected as Division A captains, who then draft their two teammates.
Once Division A teams are set, the remaining top players are selected as Division B captains and pick their team. This process continues for Divisions C and D until every player has been drafted, ensuring balanced and competitive rosters across all divisions.
With teams formed, the season begins. Each team battles it out in their respective division in intense season matches. Each team's regular season performance is crucial, as your record determines your seeding going into the playoffs.
At the end of the regular season, it's time for playoffs! All teams compete in a double-elimination bracket, but only the top four teams from each division can secure their spot to play at LAN, where the best of the best battle it out on stage in front of a live crowd for the chance to raise the trophy and be immortalized in DCRL history. Only one team in each division can emerge victorious, crowned as the champions of DCRL.
The History of DCRL
In March 2022, Alex Kotula, a current student at NDSU at the time, started brainstorming an idea for a Rocket League tournament that would include students from all colleges in North and South Dakota. The goal was to take the large Rocket League following that NDSU had built over the years and combine it with the rest of the students from colleges across the Dakotas. After many months of talking to students, cold calling colleges, and somehow convincing NDSU to host an in-person tournament for free, Dakota Collegiate Rocket League was born.
In Fall 2022, DCRL kicked off its inaugural season with 72 students across 10 colleges competing for the first DCRL championship. After a full semester of game-play had concluded, three teams, one from each division, hoisted the trophy as the first-ever DCRL Champions.
Fast forward to the upcoming Spring 2025 season, DCRL has expanded to 23 colleges represented by over 130 students. The league has continued to grow, so much so that it now holds the title of the largest collegiate Esports tournament in North or South Dakota.
The Goal of DCRL
DCRL aims to give all college students in the Dakotas the opportunity to play in a semester-long tournament with a chance to play on LAN, regardless of skill level. Some students are skilled enough to be on their college’s Rocket League team and get to compete against colleges across the nation. But for any students who aren’t at that level or don’t have the time to commit to playing, there haven’t been many opportunities for them to compete in any tournaments, let alone one that gives them a chance to compete in front of a live crowd.
DCRL’s main goal is to give everyone the chance to compete while still providing a welcoming environment, opening up the competitive aspect of Rocket League to all.