Staten Island, NY – Matt Torres has been named Wagner College's first ever esports head coach, the school announced on Friday.
 
Torres will take over the reins of the newly created program that will compete in the National Association of Collegiate Esports, the country's most prominent organization dedicated to competitive collegiate video gaming, where the Seahawks will compete in the games Overwatch, Hearthstone, League of Legends, and Fortnite.
 
A Staten Island native, Torres holds a bachelor's degree in Computer Information Systems from DeVry University and brings work experience from both the IT and gaming world as well as proficiency in streaming and online promotion to Grymes Hill.
 
Torres most recently worked in the IT industry at WeWork and will also serve as an information technology employee while at Wagner College.
 
"We are excited to add esports to the Wagner College family to set us up for the future of intercollegiate competition," said Wagner Athletic Director Walt Hameline. "Competitive gaming is a growing industry that will offer an increasing number of students an opportunity to excel in the arena and beyond."

 
 
"We are very excited to be adding Wagner College as a member of NACE," NACE's Executive Director Michael Brooks added. "Wagner is a highly respected institution and a great addition to the varsity esports community. Everyone here at NACE is looking forward to working with the staff and players for Wagner College. They are helping pave the way for more private, liberal arts colleges to dive into esports."
 

In order to guarantee an ideal competitive environment, Wagner has created a dedicated esports arena for daily practice, meetings, and intercollegiate competition.

The newly-created esports program will include partnerships with sponsors and creative technology companies to enable student-athletes to compete at the highest level with state-of-the-art equipment.