University of New Haven Athletics

2024: Brendan is a graduate student working towards his Master’s of Science degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology. He is a member of the varsity esports team for Super Smash Brother’s Ultimate since its reintroduction in Spring 2024. Since then, he contributed to the team’s success and earned them a second place finish at the East Coast Conference (ECC) Esports LAN Event in Brooklyn.

2023: Brendan Straut is a senior at the University of New Haven participating in New Haven esports for the first time on the Smash Bros Ultimate Team. He has been playing the game since its release in 2018 and has clocked in over 2,400 hours since then. Brendan has entered multiple SSBU tournaments during his time at the University with the Esports club, such as LMBM 2023 and various CCSU locals. As a student, Brendan is a Biology major part of the dual degree program for an M.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology. He also has been named on the New Haven’s Dean list for every semester he has been a student here. Currently, he works as a Microbiology Laboratory Assistant, where he prepares lab equipment for students in general and introductory Microbiology courses. Additionally, Brendan is a member of the Honors’ program here at the university and is currently developing his thesis on viruses and heart inflammation.