Nichols College kicks off its newest varsity team: eSports

Video games are for more than just entertainment now

by Dan Desrochers

Dudley, MA (11/19/2019) — Nichols College kicks off its newest varsity team: eSports

DUDLEY, MA - Video games are for more than just entertainment now.

The new Nichols College eSports team kicked off their season at a launch party recently on the Nichols College campus. Students were able to see the new eSports location, meet team members, and learn about the newest varsity team at Nichols. The eSports team gives athletes another way to both compete and build professional skills at Nichols.

The team is competing in four games this season: League of Legends, Hearthstone, Rocket League, and the NBA2K franchise series. The team consists of 11 players, as well as head coach Charles Touisignant and assistant coach David Leary.

"I am thrilled to announce the creation of Nichols College's 22nd varsity sport. This decision could not have come at a better time, as we are seeing tremendous growth in the eSports community across the globe," Eric Gobiel, Director of Athletics at Nichols, said. "Bringing eSports to our campus allows us to offer student-athletes an opportunity to compete on a national level while also receiving a world-class education and experience."

The eSports team has been provided with its own space in the Fels Student Center, with equipment including six Alienware desktop gaming computers and an Xbox One console. The team is also being given access to practice and fitness facilities and staff at Nichols to improve on their skills, including workout and training regimens specific to eSports.

The eSports athletes, like all athletes at Nichols, are also given access to key professional development skills that will benefit them after they graduate.

"The integrated educational experience and skills these athletes receive by participating in eSports is invaluable. The team members must rely heavily on communication, collaboration, planning, and execution which are skills that directly translate to any occupation they may choose upon graduation," Gobiel said.

"We're looking to serve the professional development of students that's key to Nichols," said assistant coach Leary.

Students will learn skills including media production, podcasting and analysis of gaming.

"We are focusing on content development, self-promotion and how to put media out there," he added.

Jared Maymon '20, a double major in corporate finance and investments and economics from East Greenwich, Rhode Island, is a current eSports team member who also previously played high school football as a defensive lineman. Maymon said his experience as an eSports athlete has been surprisingly similar to his time as a football player.

"It's really easy to compare the two," Maymon said. "Teamwork is forming, you can tell we'll be an extremely close-knit family."

The athletes on the eSports team are:

-Vangjel Gjergo, '23, Webster, MA

-Michal Hansen, '20, Dover, MA

-Timothy Kellog, '22, Stoughton, MA

-Jonathan Konecny, '20, Fairfield, CT

-Nicholas Lamarre, '20, Chicopee, MA

-Jared Maymon, '20, East Greenwich, RI

-Connor Miller, '21, Braintree, MA

-William Rosa, '22, Springfield, MA

-Robert Saltalamacchhia, '22, Millis, MA

-Ray Wang, '22, Chengdu, China

-Grant Wells, '21, Webster, MA

About Nichols College

Nichols College is a college of choice for business and leadership education as a result of its distinctive career-focused and leadership-based approaches to learning, both in and out of the classroom, and through impactful research and professional education. Students thrive in a learning and living environment that is supported by an experiential business curriculum and a strong liberal arts foundation aimed at transforming them into tomorrow's leaders. Nichols also offers master's degrees in business, leadership, accounting, and counterterrorism, as well as a range of certificate programs, to promote career advancement for today's professionals.

Media Contacts:

Susan Veshi
Associate Vice President for Advancement and College Communications
Nichols College
123 Center Road, Dudley, MA
Email: susan.veshi@nichols.edu

Jillian Riches
Assistant Director of Public Engagement
Nichols College
123 Center Road, Dudley, MA
Email: jillian.riches@nichols.edu