Niner Esports

Your home for gaming on campus!

About

Organization History

Niner Esports was founded in 2015 as a League of Legends club. Soon, involvement took off and the club was converted into a larger Esports club called “Esports at UNC Charlotte”. Seeing a drastic increase in support in following years, the organization underwent a substantial identity overhaul to become Niner Esports as it exists today.


Niner Esports Today

Today, Niner Esports is the largest collegiate esports organization on the East Coast of the US and the largest student organization at UNC Charlotte. We are made up of over 2,300 members and 10 collegiate esports teams including Rocket League, Valorant, Halo, League of Legends, Rainbow Six, and more.

Our incredible officers work tirelessly to put on events, such as LAN Parties, for our community to bolster involvement.

In recent years, there has been a tremendous boom in the popularity of esports. With that came a growing concern about the lack of diversity and its underlying probable cause: toxicity toward women and minorities. The popularity of gaming among undergraduates has skyrocketed. This means that the need for a substantial effort towards promoting inclusion among the growing population is more important than ever.

In 2022, Niner Esports became a finalist for Esports Collegiate Program of the Year at the Esports Awards in Las Vegas. We were the only non-varsity (student-run) program to make it to the finalist stage. This accomplishment made Niner Esports one of the top 10 collegiate esports organizations in the world.

In 2023, Niner Esports entered the spotlight once again when we won Esports Club of the Year at the EsportsU Collegiate awards. These achievements propelled the organization to relevance within and beyond the campus of UNC Charlotte. We now host events that pull teams from around the country to compete. Most recently, we held the Gold Rush Featuring Fortnite event.

Meet the Team

These are the hard-working student leaders responsible for putting on the events that our students love! Starting with the executives:

Co-President | Alexis Diamond

Co-President | Pake Cary

Vice President | Rudi Hefer

Marketing Director | Mia Nguyen

Events Director | Anshuman Pandey

Community Events Director | Valentin Cannon


Treasurer | Owen Caprioglio


Advisory Council

  • Kevin Colwell - UNC Charlotte Staff Advisor

  • Jorge Sanchez - Alumni Advisor / Former President

  • Gidd Sasser - Alumni Advisor

  • Tyler Holley - Design Advisor / Former Marketing Director


Team Managers

  • Ahmad Mason - Valorant Team Manager

  • Bailey Breedlove - Overwatch Manager

  • Brockton Packard - iRacing Manager

  • Cameron East - Counter Strike Manager

  • Charles Purrington III - Rocket League Manager

  • Gabriel Herterich - Overwatch Manager

  • Ramley Hirneisen - League of Legends Manager

  • Scott Tran - League of Legends Manager

  • Stephen Korenstein - Overwatch Manager

  • Trey Bowen - Super Smash Bros Manager

  • Veronica Grider - Splatoon Manger

  • TBD - Analytics Manager

  • TBD - Call of Duty Manager


Event Coordinators

  • Connor Babcock - FGC Coordinator

  • Melissa Jamison - Valorant Coordinator

  • Omar Kamel - VR Coordinator

  • Ryan Slattery - Melee Coordinator

  • Saige Hatfield - Overwatch Coordinator

  • William Butler - Rocket League Coordinator


Marketing Team

  • Andy Ha - Graphic Designer

  • Tyler Mabe - Graphic Designer

  • Nathan Lawton - Graphic Designer


Broadcast Team

  • Josiah Hemphill - Head of Broadcasting

  • Devyn Meneses - Broadcasting Coordinator


Volunteer Coaches

  • John Padgett - Call of Duty Coach

  • Stephen Korenstein - Overwatch Coach

Contact

To learn more about Niner Esports or to work with the org, complete the form below and we will reach out as soon as possible!

Our Teams

Niner Esports fields a number of collegiate-level teams that compete in various leagues including NECC, CLoL, CVAL, and more.

Valorant - Main Team

Team Manager: Ahmad MasonTeam Members: TBD

Valorant - Academy Team

Team Manager: Ahmad MasonTeam Members: TBD

Rocket League - Main Team

Team Manager: Charles Purrington IIITeam Members: TBD

Rocket League - Academy Team

Team Manager: Charles Purrington IIITeam Members: TBD

League of Legends - Main Team

Team Manager: Ramley Hirneisen / Scott TranTeam Members: TBD

League Of Legends - Academy Team

Team Manager: Ramley Hirneisen / Scott TranTeam Members: TBD

R6: Siege - Main Team

Team Manager: TBDTeam Members: TBD

R6: Siege - Academy Team

Team Manager: TBDTeam Members: TBD

Overwatch - Green Team

Team Manager: Gabriel Herterich / Bailey BreedloveTeam Members: TBD

Overwatch - Gold Team

Team Manager: Stephen KorensteinTeam Members: TBD

Overwatch - Academy Team

Team Manager: Gabriel Herterich / Bailey BreedloveTeam Members: TBD

Super Smash Bros

Team Manager: Trey BowenTeam Members: TBD

iRacing

Team Manager: Brockton PackardTeam Members: TBD

Counter Strike

Team Manager: John SmithTeam Members: TBD

Splatoon

Team Manager: Veronica GriderTeam Members: TBD

Fortnite

Team Manager: Mia NguyenTeam Members: TBD

Call of Duty

Team Manager: TBDTeam Members: TBD


Special Events

The best thing about Niner is our ability to engage our community through events. Events featuring a wide variety of games are held throughout the semesters. We hold some of the most significant events at UNC Charlotte, with continuous event attendance of 300-400 students at our LAN parties. Each semester, we hold frequent viewing parties and two bring-your-own-system LAN parties. These LANs span an entire day and feature tournaments, giveaways, food, and a space to connect with likeminded individuals.

Today, Niner Esports holds the largest collegiate esports events on the East Coast of the US and is the largest student organization at UNC Charlotte. We are made up of over 2,300 members and 10 collegiate esports teams including Rocket League, Valorant, Halo, League of Legends, Rainbow Six, and more.