January 20, 2026
Xfinity’s Run It Back Year 4 returned to collegiate esports in the fall of 2025, bringing together student esports communities from across the U.S. to compete in Rocket League, Valorant, and League of Legends. Hosted in part at the University of Washington’s HUB Esports Arena & Gaming Lounge. The event is about showcasing the strength of collegiate programs and the students behind them.
There isn’t much public information available about individual players from the event, but the results are in: three collegiate programs stood out and took home Run It Back 4 titles.
Run It Back 4: Tournament Overview
Event details
- Event: Xfinity Run It Back (Year 4)
- Level: Collegiate
- Games featured: Valorant, Rocket League, League of Legends
- Format: Bracket-style competition
- Finals venue: University of Washington HUB Esports Arena
- Participating schools: Included UC Davis, Oregon State, University of Washington, UC Berkeley, University of Oregon, Seattle University, New Mexico State, and more
Run It Back has become one of the few collegiate tournaments backed by a major sponsor, helping legitimize college esports while giving students a chance to compete on a real stage.
Valorant Champions: UC Davis Esports
UC Davis Esports took home the Run It Back 4 Valorant championship, finishing their tournament run on top in one of the most competitive collegiate games right now.
If you’ve been paying attention to UC Davis’ esports scene, this result isn’t surprising. The program has been steadily building for years, supporting multiple competitive teams and putting effort into practice, structure, and player development. It’s not just a group of students queuing ranked together: it’s a program that treats competition seriously while still being run by students and for students.
At the collegiate level, Valorant usually comes down to how well a team plays together. Clean comms, preparation, and staying calm across long series matter far more than highlight clips. And UC Davis looked comfortable in that area throughout the bracket, playing disciplined Valorant and closing out matches when it mattered.
Rocket League Champions: OSU Esports
OSU Esports came out on top in Rocket League, claiming the Run It Back 4 championship in one of the fastest (and more punishing) games in the tournament.
Rocket League has been a strong point for Oregon State for a while now. OSU’s esports program is one of the larger, student-run organizations in the region, with over 1,100 members and multiple competitive teams across different titles, and it’s built around giving players consistent opportunities to compete, improve, and represent their school.
Rocket League at this level is all about reading the field and trusting your teammates to be where they’re supposed to be. OSU played with that kind of confidence throughout the bracket, keeping control of their games and closing things out when it mattered.
League of Legends Champions: UW Esports
UW Esports closed out Run It Back 4 by winning the League of Legends championship, doing it on their own turf at the University of Washington.
The University of Washington has quietly built one of the more complete and supported collegiate esports setups in the region. Between a dedicated esports arena, regular events, and support across multiple games, UW has created an environment where teams can practice and compete under real match conditions.
Playing at home clearly worked in UW’s favor. The team looked settled on stage, handled the pressure well, and didn’t give their opponents many chances to take control of the series. Winning the title in front of their home crowd capped off a strong showing for the Huskies, and showed how much having a solid campus setup and consistent support can matter in moments like this.
Why events like Run It Back are important
In any field, you don’t go straight from learning the basics to working at the highest possible level. You need space to practice, make mistakes, and improve in environments that resemble the real thing.
For students, events like this provide something that’s hard to find elsewhere: structured competition that feels professional without the pressure and stakes of a full pro circuit. Players get experience preparing for matches, playing on a schedule, competing on stage or broadcast, and working within a team structure (all of which matter just as much as in-game skill).
That kind of experience adds up. The more opportunities students have to compete in semi-professional settings, the better prepared they are when they move into higher-level competition, whether that’s professional play or other roles within the esports industry.
So, in the end, Run It Back doesn’t just reward winning teams. It gives students some well-needed reps in an environment that mirrors how esports actually works.
Final Tackle
Run It Back 4 ended with three strong collegiate programs on top. UC Davis, Oregon State, and the University of Washington each made the most of the tournament and showed why their programs continue to be competitive.
For college teams, events like this are part of the season, not a simple side project. They give players and programs another chance to test what they’ve been working on and see how they stack up against other schools. Run It Back 4 did exactly that, and these results reflect the work being done across different collegiate esports.