BUCKHANNON, West Virginia – West Virginia Wesleyan College’s esports program under the direction of head coach Ethan Hayes is working with middle and high school programs to foster the growth of esports across the Mountain State.

Hayes was hired as the head coach of West Virginia Wesleyan College’s esports program in time for the start of year two in August 2020. The program was celebrated as being the first varsity esports program in the state of West Virginia as well as the first program in the nation to offer a varsity scholarship for the game of Fortnite.

Reflecting on four years of growth with the College’s program, Hayes said, “I am proud to look where we have grown. From the initial class of 11 students to a roster of 30-plus scholarship and walk-on athletes, Wesleyan continues to be an institution proud to offer opportunities for West Virginia students with a passion for gaming to leverage their abilities to provide themselves with a brighter future through a degree.

“One thing that was brought to my attention when I began working at Wesleyan was the College’s desire to not just be a place where students could come for esports, but act as an organization that could extend a helping hand to anyone who may be interested in fostering esports for students within their counties and towns,” Hayes said.

“This has culminated in the combined efforts of a team of teachers who have formed an organization dubbed the West Virginia Scholastic Esports League or WVSEL for short. This cohort of high school and middle school staff came together to solve some of the accessibility issues we as a state were facing in the esports world,” Hayes continued.

“As of last semester, the WVSEL has successfully launched their first free to play esports league for students, providing an alternative for any school that may find national leagues too expensive or schools that were looking for more familiar opponents than faceless schools at the national level,” Hayes said.

“These coaches serve as a shining example of the efforts Wesleyan is proud to help champion and as such we wanted to thank some of these coaches so that they may know that their hard work and efforts have not gone unnoticed by the college and by our communities.”

Thank you to Chase Jarrell, Ravenswood High School; William Cottrell, Wirt County High School; Emily Eskew, Elkview Middle School; Robert May, Cabell County Career Tech; Martin Nicolay, George Washington High School; Anita Lambert, Braxton County Middle School; Abbigale Wells, Brooke High School; Scott Vogelsong, Greenbriar East High School; Judy Pitzer, Tucker County High School; Jeremy Hubbard, Hedgesville High School; Jordan O’Dell, John Adams Middle School; Brody Potter, Saint Albans High School; Will Totten, Spring Valley High School; Corey Mease, Spring Mills High School; Tim Wine, Calhoun-Gilmer Career Center; Gerad Hunter, Ripley High School; Oscar Lopez, Doddridge County Middle School; Chris McGrew, Mid-Ohio Valley Technical Institute; Missy Taylor, St. Mary’s High School; Janelle Gamoe, West Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind; Thomas Akers, Robert L. Bland Middle School; Brigette Barlow, Monongalia County School District; Deon Jones, Martinsburg High School; Karen Dawson and Trevor Hutchinson, Spring Mills Middle School.

“These coaches were the original faculty from schools who decided to take up the cause of providing more opportunity for their students to have access to esports and the scholarship and lifestyle opportunities it could provide,” Hayes said. “Without their hard work, this state would not be seeing the growth at the rate that it does and Wesleyan is deeply honored to be trusted to assist and advise the growth of the league alongside them.

“As we look forward to esports in the state, Wesleyan looks to continue our efforts of supporting schools and the WVSEL. We are excited to continue to provide a home for West Virginia students interested in esports after graduation as well as assisting the schools as they grow and create new opportunities for competition through the leagues they oversee.”

Those interested in bringing esports to their West Virginia school or in sponsoring these programs should contact Hayes at hayes.e@wvwc.edu.