Esports to Join NACE

 BY MASON FRIDLEY ’23

 2 MIN. READ

Anderson University esports is joining the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) conference in the spring of 2024. They will compete in a division made up of other colleges and universities in the Midwest.

AU will compete in Rocket League, Valorant, and Overwatch. Schedules for the upcoming spring season will be announced soon.

Coach Tanner Luffman, head coach of the esports program, is excited to get started with NACE. He says, “I’ve worked with NACE in the past, and I like how well-organized it is. This conference is structured well, and we’ll get to compete a lot more.”

Since the conference list has not been released for this year, Luffman is not sure who AU will be competing against. Luffman previously played in an eastern conference where his teams competed against schools like Ole Miss and Salve Regina.

The students seem to be on board with a conference transition. Luffman states, “I’ve only heard positive things about switching to NACE.”

NACE is a nonprofit membership association organized by and on behalf of member institutions. NACE is made up of more than 240 institutions with more than 5,000 student-athletes and $16 million in esports scholarships and aid.

If interested in joining the team or shoutcasting, please contact the esports coach, Tanner Luffman, at tbluffman@anderson.edu.

Anderson University is on a mission to educate students for lives of faith and service, offering more than 60 undergraduate majors, 30 three-year degrees, 20 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports, alongside adult and graduate programs. The private, liberal arts institution is fully accredited and recognized among top colleges for its business, computer science, cybersecurity, dance, engineering, nursing, and teacher education programs. Anderson University was established in 1917 in Anderson, Indiana, by the Church of God.