Webber Athletics
Ricky Baptist, Director of Sports Information
BABSON PARK, Fla. – Director of Athletics Brad Niethammer has announced the hiring of Kyle Jensen as the first Head Esports Coach at Webber International University.
Jensen majored in law and society and minored in forensic science at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, graduating in May 2018.
During the spring of 2018, Jensen was a Research Intern for Purdue Homeland Security. He also worked as a Judge’s Intern for the Shelby County Courthouse in Shelbyville, Indiana, during the summer of 2016.
Jensen has also volunteered with the Indianapolis Colts Touchdown Town and has been a third and fourth grade flag football coach.
Competitive online gaming has exploded over the past few years, resulting in Esports expanding into intercollegiate athletics. Over 80 colleges/universities and 1,500 student-athletes are members of NACE, and the national association has brought in $9 million in scholarships and financial aid.
Webber’s new coed Esports team will compete as a member of the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), a national affiliation that formed in 2016 and, as of January, 2018, serves as the governing body for over 90 percent of all varsity Esports programs in the United States.
League of Legends and Overwatch are two of the most popular titles in the Esports community. Competitions are held online where teams compete against one another in scenarios of 5v5 (League of Legends) or 6v6 (Overwatch). All matches are streamed, and series typically last three to five hours.
According to Coach Jensen, the Warriors will start off by competing in League of Legends.
“I am excited to build an Esports program that fosters sportsmanship and success in such a wonderful community like Webber,” said Jensen.
Jensen’s first order of business will to begin recruiting immediately with an eye towards beginning practice and competition in the spring.
Webber’s Director of Athletics Brad Niethammer said, I’m excited to see this program get up and running. Kyle has the opportunity and challenge to start and build the Esports program from scratch. I look forward to watching him grow as a coach and building this new program.”