(Editor's note: DCC Athletics release)
GLENDIVE -- Dawson Community College has announced that it will join the growing competitive world of esports (electronic sports) and will add a competitive team this fall. The program is recruiting students and scholarships are available. DCC aims to have a full team when school begins in August.
The esports team will be coached by Tanner Wolff and Josh Wentz, both of Glendive. Wolff and Wentz have played a number of games competitively, know the skills and tactics behind the games, and ultimately understand how to coach and lead others to be successful.
“Gaming and esports have been a huge part of my life and I am excited to be able to support other gamers in learning and growing; as well as provide a positive and encouraging environment for our athletes, other students on campus and people in the community.” said Wolff.
"I have had such a positive experience with gaming and esports in the past and I can’t wait to share that with others as we bring this program to the school and community,” Wentz said.
DCC will compete in games like Rocket League, Overwatch, Magic the Gathering, CS:GO and many more. They will also compete against schools within the region like Bismarck State College, Dickinson State University, University of Jamestown, and others schools across the nation.
This program will attract a new group of student-athletes to DCC and will also benefit other students on campus and people in the community hosting regular “open gaming” nights for students and community members to play and compete. Dawson also hopes to host other esports tournaments and events.
The first collegiate team appeared in the United States in 2014. There are now more than 200 colleges and universities offering varsity esports which represents more than 2,000 student-athletes. Professional esport athletes are earning up to six-figure salaries, with hundreds of millions of dollars in prize money available. Viewership numbers for esport events are pretty remarkable. The world championships for League of Legends in 2018 reached a peak of 99.6 million viewers.
“Esports will be a huge addition to DCC," said athletic director Joe Peterson. "It is one of the fastest growing sports in America and we want to get in during the early stages. I love how it will increase enrollment, but also be a great addition to the college for other students and the community. We found two excellent coaches to launch this new program and build it into something special.”
Students interested in competing in the 2020-2021 season are encouraged to contact coaches at jwentz@dawson.edu or twolff@dawson.edu.
