DANBURY, CT– The ECAC announced today the list of participating schools in the first official full year of ECAC eSports competition.  The fall ECAC eSports competition commences this week, and the 80-year-old historic conference will be sponsoring and facilitating competition over five different gaming platforms during the course of this year.

ECAC eSports members participating in this first formal season of competition include Canisius College, DeSales University, Drew University, Iona College, Keuka College, King University, Mansfield University, Marist College, Moravian College, Neumann University, Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, Siena College, Stevenson University, Stockton University, SUNY Canton, and Texas Wesleyan University.  Many more are expected to join prior to the Spring competition season.

“We’re thrilled to be a leader in advancing and promoting intercollegiate eSports competition,” said ECAC President and CEO Dan Coonan.  “We are dedicated to exploring new and creative ways to provide value for our ECAC member schools.  While our footprint traditionally has encompassed primarily the Northeast, with so much of eSports competition conducted on-line, we are able to extend our geographic footprint.  We now have Texas Wesleyan as a member for eSports. We are excited about our dynamic and substantial growth in eSports over such a brief time span and believe our expansion from here will be exponential.”

“Additionally, this will extend the number of college students who will have an opportunity to benefit from the lifelong lessons which accrue to student athletes participating in traditional sports, including solidifying the feeling of school pride inherent in wearing team jerseys.  Collegiate Sports Management Group, our multi-media rights partner, will also be working with us on the eSports apparel licensing side in creating uniforms and fanwear.”

Following the success of last year’s inaugural ECAC eSports Invitational Championships held in Albany at the Capital Center, and won by Marist College, the ECAC will once again host the live, in-person eSports Championships across several platforms at the Capital Center in Albany on March 29 and 30, 2019, as part of the Hudson Valley Gamer Conference, sponsored in partnership with the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.

ABOUT THE ECAC
Established in 1938, the ECAC is the nation’s largest Conference, ranging in location from Maine to Georgia, and westerly to Missouri. The ECAC hosts numerous championships in men’s and women’s sports across Divisions I, II and III, offering opportunities for thousands of student-athletes. For more information, visit www.ecacsports.com.
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All questions or inquiries should be directed to Dan Coonan at dcoonan@ecac.org.