Idaho State University names inaugural esports team members

POCATELLO — Idaho State University has joined schools from across the country in creating an esports program for student gamers.

According to a news release from Idaho State University, the team was put together with the help of a world-renowned coach and first year recruits. The team will start competing in the fall, and they officially committed to playing for ISU at a signing ceremony last week.

There will be three different teams in the program. They will be Team Valorant, Team Overwatch and Team Rocket League. Each team member received a professional jersey at the signing ceremony.

The coach for the esports program is Pocatello native Charles “Mystvc” Johnson, who is the 2023 Call of Duty World Champion. He was unable to attend the ceremony last week because he was participating at the esports World Cup as the coach for the Call of Duty team in Saudi Arabia.

Lowell Richards, associate vice president for student affairs, said in the news release that bringing esports to ISU is a good idea. Esports is one of the fastest growing sports on college campuses. There are already 300 varsity teams across the country, and it continues to grow with younger students. It is already a $1.5 billion industry.

“The goal of our program is to enhance the overall student experience and provide a pathway toward graduation,” Richards said in the news release.

Richards said in the news release that academics will always come first for the students in the esports program.

“We require a minimum GPA, and we’ll be checking in with our players to help ensure their success in gaming and in the classroom because we want them to be graduates of ISU,” Richards said in the news release.

The news release said esports will teach students a variety of skills while pursuing their degrees. One of the team members is a junior studying political science named Julia Miller. She has been playing Overwatch 1 since she was in middle school.

“It’s awesome that I can come to ISU, play games, get a scholarship, meet amazing people and interact with the staff helping out as well,” she said in the news release. “I am so excited to be the first of hopefully many ISU esports players.”

The university is also considering having academic programming and course curriculum related to esports. These could eventually lead to future degree programs. The ISU esports arena is on the first floor of the Pond Student Union. It contains state-of-the-art equipment.

“Our space is small now, and we know we could easily triple the space and fill it,” Richards said in the news release. “We have a goal to grow, and we have a great start.”

Team Overwatch:

Abigail Janicek — Sophomore — Earth and environmental systems.

Dilyn Graefe — Junior — Computer science.

Nathan Parkin — Freshman — Energy systems and mechanical engineering.

William Forde — Junior — Computer science.

Julia Miller — Junior — Political science.

Jonas Miramontes — Senior — Electrical engineering.

Brooklynne Larson — Sophomore — Biology.

Sergio Garcia — Senior — Nutrition.

Team Rocket League:

Emory Johnson — Junior — Communications.

Bannon Schafer — Sophomore — Nuclear engineering.

Jye Lambson — Freshman — Information technology systems.

Adam Storms — Junior — Chemistry.

Team Valorant:

Cody Barenberg — Sophomore — Computer science.

Will Nelson — Sophomore — Radiographic science.

Issac Turner — Sophomore — Computer Science.

Liam Searle — Junior — Computer science.

Johnathon Michael Joseph Stoneback — Junior — Philosophy.

Isabella Dougherty — Senior — Computer science.

Nicholas Ryver — Junior — Information technology systems.