Mason Cigrand comes back to win National Championship

Cougar Esports student-athlete Mason Cigrand had already achieved the most successful season in program history, but on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024, he put himself in the record books by winning the first National Championship in Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) history.

Cigrand started his Hearthstone - Tier 1 championship match against Heartland Community College by dropping game one in the best-of-five series.

"It was definitely stressful," Cigrand said. "I could feel my hands get clammy and my back was sweating a little bit. But I had lost a few games before that, so I wasn't too worried. I knew what decks this guy was playing and what was ahead of me."

He fought back in games two and three to take a 2-1 lead, but like all great championships, Heartland answered with a game-four win. The National Championship came down to one final, winner-take-all game, but Cigrand kept his nerves in check.

"I was just nervous, but still confident," he said.

This hard-fought battle revealed that these two opponents were unquestionably the best this year. The back and forth had anxiety levels high, even for Head Esports Coach Verrick Foust. However, he knew that Mason was prepared for that exact moment.

"Even when he's down," Foust said, "he's still able to go through it. I say this at the beginning of each game, but I try to make sure he's aware that it was just like any other game. I wanted to make sure it felt the same to him."

The NICC Esports program was established in 2022 but had never seen an athlete achieve this type of success. Not only did Cigrand bring Esports their first championship, he will forever be known as the first Cougar National Championship-winning athlete.

"It's exciting," Cigrand said, "but I don't know what to say. I just have a smile on my face. It feels good."

Cigrand's time at NICC is about to come to an end. After the fall semester, he plans to transfer to Loras College to continue his education.

The legacy he built this season is one that the Cougar Esports team will remember forever, and Mason Cigrand will always be able to call himself a National Champion.