Mars Hill University will add esports to its lineup of sports teams.
Athletics director Rick Baker says the varsity team will begin competition in the fall of 2020 with an expected roster of 12 student-athletes. Esports is short for “electronic sports” and involves competitive multiplayer video gaming.
“Esports is one of the fastest growing sports in the country,” says Baker. “We are extremely excited about starting a new eSports program at Mars Hill. It has a very large fan base and adding esports will offer our students another popular engagement opportunity.”
The university is currently creating a competition-level computer lab in Wren Student Union. Mars Hill’s esports team will compete against colleges and universities of all sizes in games such as “League of Legends.” Baker says the head coach will determine other games in which the university will compete.
Collegiate esports league operator Tespa has more than 270 chapters at schools in the United States and Canada, and says more than 1,350 schools have competed in its tournaments. NACE, the National Association of Collegiate eSports, has 153 varsity esports programs as members. Market analytics firm Newzoo estimated the 2018 global esports audience at more than 380 million and points to the development of collegiate gaming as one of the top factors in the esports industry’s growth.
MHU’s New Esports Coach
Sterling Henderson has been named the head esports coach. “I want to thank President Floyd and Director of Athletics Rick Baker for this great opportunity to start and lead the new esports program at Mars Hill University,” Henderson said.
Henderson comes to Mars Hill after spending several months at Electronic Arts as a QA Tester, investigating potential bugs in the software and recommending solutions and improvements to the studio.
Henderson also brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the esports world to The Hill, serving as General Manager of Carolina Gaming and the Owner of Nfinite. With Carolina Gaming, Henderson assisted in launching the Blue Brigade stream team initiative and recruited and trained content creators as well as streamers, and assisted in developing business strategies and partner relations.
With Nfinite, he was responsible for hiring and training the staff as well as recruiting and managing professional players and rosters. Henderson also served as the point of contact for public relations.
Henderson began his journey into esports as a player and team manager for various organizations between 2015-2017. He was responsible for scheduling all practices, reviewing game film, and earned numerous invitations to professional tournaments.
He then served as a recruiter at Cincinnati Christian University in 2018. Henderson developed and deepened the relationships between the high school program, creating a recruiting pipeline.
Esports will launch at Mars Hill University in the fall of 2020.
About Mars Hill University
Mars Hill University is a premier private, liberal arts institution offering over 30 baccalaureate degrees, as well as master’s degrees in criminal justice, elementary education, and management. Founded in 1856 by Baptist families of the region, the campus is located just 20 minutes north of Asheville in the mountains of western North Carolina. The university’s Asheville Center for Adult and Graduate Studies is located on Airport Road in Arden.
Visit www.mhu.edu
