The National Association of Collegiate Esports Partners with Southwestern Athletic Conference

MEDIA CONTACTS

Emily Cox, NACE, 816-595-8110, ecox@nacesports.org

Andrew Roberts, Assistant Commissioner – Media Relations, SWAC

KANSAS CITY, MO – The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) is partnering with the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

“NACE is one of the greatest forces championing institutions establishing official esports programs on campus and has made tremendous progress with institutions of all levels from Division I to Division III institutions. In partnership with the Southwestern Athletic Conference we are proud to share our next evolution as an association with the inclusion of athletic conferences,” said Michael Brooks, Executive Director of NACE. “Conferences have tremendous value in what they bring to collegiate esports and together the experience of students and fans will only improve.”

Originally consisting of athletes from six institutions in 1920, the SWAC has grown to accommodate 10 different institutions, offering 18 different sports to their membership. The SWAC implemented a conference-wide esports platform in September 2020, which now has over 200 registered gamers that play in online tournaments for prizes and campus bragging rights. Now the conference is looking to focus on Rocket League, Madden NFL, and Overwatch in Spring 2021.

This March, NACE will be partnering with the SWAC to assist with the launch of their inner conference competitive esports league. Each member institution will have an opportunity to form an official esports team to compete in conference divisional play. The league schedule will consist of a four-week regular season format with two weeks of post season play to determine team champions in each game title.

This will include broadcasting competitions to promote esports within the conference to give SWAC schools the opportunity to develop their programs with NACE support. Any full-time student will be eligible to compete on behalf of their institution however like any student-athlete, the esports athletes will be required to maintain academic excellence and a health balance of student life.

“The Southwestern Athletic Conference is extremely excited to partner with NACE,” said SWAC Commissioner Dr. Charles McClelland. “NACE has proven to be on the cutting edge of establishing programs and initiatives that will advance the world of esports gaming to the next level. The students at all ten of our member institutions will benefit tremendously from this partnership and we look forward to collaborating with them on a variety of strategic plans that will put our league at the forefront of esports gaming at the collegiate level.”

About NACE
The National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) is a nonprofit membership association organized by and on behalf of our member institutions and is the largest varsity esports association in North America. Together, our members are developing the structure and tools needed to advance collegiate esports in the varsity space.

About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.

Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.
Women’s competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.

Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at www.swac.org.