Keiser University has announced the addition of a varsity Esports program that will start competing in the fall of 2019. The Seahawks will become the fourth school in Florida; joining Florida Southern University, St. Thomas University, and Full Sail University to offer a varsity Esports program.

"The number of people competing in Esports has grown significantly over the past three to five years," says Kris Swogger, Director of Athletics at Keiser University. "We are excited to join this popular sport and provide another outlet for students to earn a degree and compete at a high level."

Keiser plans to build a gaming area on the Flagship Campus in the Student Life Center. The new gaming area will serve as the home for the varsity program for matches and practices, and also serve as the "gaming hub" for a club and intramural program.  This room will feature up to 20 gaming desktops with intel core i7 processors, GeForce RTX 2060 graphic cards, and the room will have dedicated internet lines for swift, uninterrupted game play.

The varsity Esports program will compete as member of NACE (National Association of Collegiate Esports) in multiple games and offer scholarship opportunities to men and women. 

Keiser University partnered with NACE to provide the competitive framework for Keiser's Esports program. Housed within the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics national office, NACE oversees rules and competition for its more than 80 member institutions, which includes not only NAIA schools, but also NCAA and NJCAA colleges/universities.

The Seahawks are in the midst of a national search for their first Esports coach, and interested applicants can complete the following application: http://keiseruniversity.hodesiq.com/job_detail.asp?jobid=5574290.

For more information on the program, contact Jamie Shoemaker at jshoemaker@keiseruniversity.edu