York College
Athletics photo by Steddon Sikes ’84
eSports Coming to YC
York College hosted an eSports Association Summer Tournament in 2019 for area teams.
YC announces addition of competitive gaming
eSports is coming to York College beginning in the 2021-22 academic year, according to Jared Stark, vice president for athletics and enrollment management. “We are excited to join the world of eSports, which is a growing trend in higher education, and we are ready to seize this moment and launch a program for this coming fall,” stated Stark. “eSports is yet another route where students can find their way and place in the York College community and be exposed to our Christcentered mission." Stark eSports (also known as electronic sports) describes the world of competitive, organized video gaming. It continues to grow in popularity and has even found its way to ESPN with
game developers actively designing and funding tournaments. The Panthers will compete in the National Association of Collegiate eSports (NACE). NACE member schools are dedicated to legitimizing collegiate eSports and providing college students the opportunities to live their passion for competitive gaming while pursuing a quality education. The Panthers plan to field their first team in the fall of 2021. n
Pushing the Limits Cross country runner Maria Geesaman (JR/Greeley, CO) ran the best race of her career by over 15 seconds as she finished fourth overall at the Midstates Classic on October 24. Her time of 18:53 also put her further atop the York College record book for the fastest time in school history. "Maria continues to push the limits and becomes better day in and day out," Geesaman said head coach Justin Carver. "She has been working on her mental toughness and it pushed her past the envelope this weekend. I'm really proud of her for having the determination to continually push that mental barrier and it shows in her finish today." Geesaman helped her team to a seventh-place finish overall.
24 | Heritage | FALL 2020
photo by Bob DeHart ’95
Geesaman sets school record at Midstates meet
Maria Geesaman (far right) led the Panthers to a fifth-place finish at the KCAC Cross Country Championships in November. Her individual finish of eighth also qualifies her for the NAIA Championships in the spring.
