Panther Athletics

York College Athletics

eSports Coming to YC

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 Christ-

Stark

centered mission." 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 Pushing the Limits Geesaman sets school record at Midstates meet 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 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.

York College hosted an eSports Association Summer Tournament in 2019 for area teams.

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

Geesaman

and becomes better day in and day out," Panthers plan to field their first team in the fall of 2021. n

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.

In the opening match of the dual with Concordia University, Harley Williamson wasted no time in getting the pin and six points for his team.

Freshman standout Jarvis Echols gave his team and fans something to cheer about as he pinned his opponent for the Panther win. Men's Wrestling made heads turn with the first NAIA wrestling competition of the year as the Panthers dominated the reigning Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) champions Concordia University 30-19. Six of the ten matches were decided by fall. Four of those went York's way.

Smith

Echols

Harley Williamson (JR/ Euless, TX) led things off when

Williamson he pinned Carter Willis for the

quick 6-0 York advantage. The 133 lb. match was the most anticipated match of the night as it boasted two NAIA National Qualifiers from the year before. The match did not disappoint as Mederios

Pierce Mederios (SR/Mountain Home, ID) beat Mario Ybarra 4-3 in sudden victory.

The Panthers' other

Fox

returning national qualifier, John Fox (SO/Gilroy, CA), took care of his opponent via fall as well. York's Brayden Smith (FR/ Kearney, NE) followed up with a pin of his own in his collegiate debut. Kenny Marzola (FR/ Henderson, NV) won a highscoring affair over Issiah Burks 15-13. That put the Panthers up 24-0 halfway through the night.

Marzola

The Bulldogs made it interesting as they won four of the final five matches. However, it was Jarvis Echols (FR/ Milwaukee, WI) who won his match over Oscar Ramirez-Garcia that sealed the victory for the Panthers. His win via pin put the match out of reach for the Bulldogs and had the Freeman Center shaking with excitement. York College is currently ranked 19th in the NAIA Coaches' Poll.

YC Golf is under familiar management as Tim Lewis '84 is back in the head coaching position of both the men's and women's programs after taking a 13-year hiatus. Lewis was the head coach from the fall of 2004 until the spring of 2007. During his three-year tenure, he was named the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year twice. Lewis also helped the men's program to back-

Lewis to-back MCAC Champions in 2005 and 2006. In

2007 the team was runner-up.

Lewis said "I am excited to be back with the York College athletic department and the Panther golf program. Our coaching staff considers it a great privilege to work with our current group of young men and women that have been doing so many great things on the golf course and in the classroom."