Niner Esports
Your home for gaming at UNC Charlotte
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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:
President | Anshuman Pandey
Vice President | Trinity Watkins
Human Resources | Mareska Chettiar
Marketing Director | Sabrina Syboutlan
Events Director | Nada Khan
Treasurer | Gokul Nair
Treasurer Intern | Justin Guachun
Social Media | Justus Overton
Community Events | Leon Hill
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
Nikole Sazoncika - Valorant Team Manager
Alexander Johnston - LoL Manager
Jax Romero - LoL Manager
Brockton Packard - iracing manager
Paul Anderson - Cs Manager
Alex Howard - SSBU manager
Veronica Grider - Splatoon manger
TBD- Cod team manager
Alexander Clark - Overwatch manager
Gabriel Herterich - Overwatch manager
William Butler - RL Team manager
Event Coordinators
Nikole Sazoncika - Valorant Coord.
Ryan Slattery - Melee Coord.
William Butler - RL Coord.
Connor Babcock - FGC Coord.
Gabriel Herteric - Overwatch coord.
Omar Kamel - VR coord.
Alex Howard - SSB Ultimate Coord.
Sean Nguyen - LoL Coord
Marketing Team
Alex Negron - Marketing Anaylst
Emma Cathey - Graphic Designer
Alex Negron - Photographer
Rajeev Choudhari -Video Editor / Webmaster
Broadcast Team
Josiah Hemphill - Head of Broadcasting
Volunteer Coaches
John Padgett - CoD 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.
20 Active Teams12 Competitive Titles
134 Roster Spots129 Unique Players
Valorant3 teams | 22 roster spots
Green Team
Team Manager:
Joseph Belala - Sep
Team Members:
Alec Crawford - NE LimitsMason Morgan - NE m1loBen Wasko - NE hippopotamusGreyson Wright - BellMason Theron Hmong Lo - NE TAEKOKarden Chen - BotWilllJoseph Belala - sepJames Nance - fuzzyAhmad Mason - Unc Precyse
Gold Team
Team Manager:
Joseph Belala - Sep
Team Members:
Derek Wang - NE chickenwangYuvraj Signh Rajput - yuvDerys Rodqiguez - ChinoDr16Jake Halbach - swimzSansur Borijin - pandasdabbyCesar Govea-Miguel - CeezJT Riddle - JayTueh
Green Team
Team Manager:
Joseph Belala - Sep
Team Members:
Alec Crawford - NE LimitsMason Morgan - NE m1loBen Wasko - NE hippopotamusGreyson Wright - BellMason Theron Hmong Lo - NE TAEKOKarden Chen - BotWilllJoseph Belala - sepJames Nance - fuzzyAhmad Mason - Unc Precyse
Gold Team
Team Manager:
Joseph Belala - Sep
Team Members:
Derek Wang - NE chickenwangYuvraj Signh Rajput - yuvDerys Rodqiguez - ChinoDr16Jake Halbach - swimzSansur Borijin - pandasdabbyCesar Govea-Miguel - CeezJT Riddle - JayTueh
White Team
Team Manager:
Joseph Belala - SepTeam Members:
Amudhan Ilamparithi - dead2meLaquarius Ross - YAASIRJohn Shanahan - LilBabyWipesPhillip Shukhnov - ********Akhil Amalean - GorillaJesus
Rocket League2 teams | 8 roster spots
S Team
Team Manager:
Carson Steele - Carson
Team Members:
Ishaq Al-Khatib - LazyNicholas Greco - NightEyoale Yared - Ballah
A Team
Team Manager:
Carson Steele - Carson
Team Members:
ThaJakeBlackZach Rabon - nick2shiestyJashawn Williams - s h x w nCarson Steele - Cheese
Marvel Rivals2 teams | 14 roster spots
Green Team (Main)
Team Manager:
Nada - pkuuz
Team Members:
Ryan Byrd - FireBreath1Yousuf Abdulrazzaq - aspectRyan Kimani - GettagedPrashant Chimariya - PracrountJardon R E Franklin - Teddychibi21Max A Saavedra - XitoCole Neiderman - .Cureless._
Gold Team (Academy)
Team Manager:
Nada - pkuuz
Team Members:
Lillian B. E. Cain - LillieszWilliam Betts Bryan - bettsvJonathan Medina-Pedraza - broitsnathanGabriel Heaviside - KingofStars400Jeremy Welsh - GetScammedRishi Reddy Bindela - Curryeater117Anoo Prabhala - Segce
Overwatch 22 teams | 18 roster spots
Main Team
Team Managers:
Aiden - blame1fan1Elijah - E
Team Members:
Evan - AmeobaMel - SomnusBen - DarkPaladinKartik - kqrtikSeif - terraAndy - lampDean - GumiJermey - GetScammed
Academy Team
Team Managers:
Aiden - blame1fan1Elijah - E
Team Members:
Nixon - LemonPantsJackson - JooksonElijah - SportsguyGemilia - toliffEthan - AKurbyBurbyAndy - PichuMarrboyzrooltweakeAngelia - IvetteporIrritatedEgg
Apex Legends2 teams | 7 roster spots
Main Team
Team Manager:
Yash Agarwal - golfy
Team Members:
Yash Agarwal - golfyxrcocoaAlexander Farino - echo8ss
Green Team
Team Manager:
Yash Agarwal - golfy
Team Members:
Noah George - n0-hMonoxideCarter Johnson - SquishhMyconoid
Rainbow 6 Siege1 team | 5 roster spots
Main Team
Team Managers:
Aaron - arroyltCloak - cloak8922
Team Members:
Jaden Burns - JabloniJaden - jjjjadenKent - Red.CLTCollin - Zephyr6ixJamison Hill - Lemonnottrigger
Super Smash Bros.1 team | 8 roster spots
Main Team
Team Manager:
Alex Howard - Alex
Team Members:
Alex Howard - YoyoLora Masencup - LoraRuben Munoz - RavenChristian Barcenas-Alvarez - A-NUBKadin Bittner - BonesNoah Sarmiento - Kuya NoahQuique Kaufman-Sedano - ChiefCharEti Akpanudo - Bubbles
i-Racing1 team | 19 roster spots
Team Manager:
Brockton Packard - Brock
Team Members:
Alex Papadimitrio - Alexander PapadimitrioBlake WynnBrandon HudsonBrockton PackardColin TeagueConnor TrifariJack RiznykJaco CusmanoJacob Witt
James Potts
Kade AndresLandon NorrisLandon SlaganLogan SulyiMikayla Chappano - Michael ChappanoNoah NicholsonRicky BurbankRivers JonesZach Probst
Counter-Strike 21 team | 5 roster spots
Main Team
Team Manager:
Cooper Young - Coop
Team Members:
Colby Kimball - watericesaltFelipe Martinez Heapito - AirthyusAlex Moore - MysteriumKhoi Dam - 0h_Noo0Cooper Young - elec
Call of Duty1 team | 6 roster spots
Main Team
Team Manager:
Colin - oreoxvo
Team Members:
Matthew - DarkEthan Duffie - DuffieJosh Ventura - V3ntraRain CDLTyler Grayson - TezzzColin Robinson - Oreo
Splatoon2 teams | 10 roster spots
Green Team
Team Manager:
Veronica Grider - Veronica
Team Members:
Veronica Grider - JokeraAndrew Hooker - PuppdXionfireKieran Lorray - OracleMartin Mendez Canas - Luna
Gold Team
Team Manager:
Veronica Grider - Veronica
*Team Members:
Foxx Raulerson - foxxSam Collins - Mr. WhiteSmith Sulcer - Amy RoseAndrew Gilbert - RocketyEmmanuel Onamade - Ayo
Deadlock2 teams | 12 roster spots
Sapphire Team
Team Manager:
Ian Schwartz - Ian
Team Members:
Stephen Korenstein - IcyOwlJake Briggs - PugCarl HumphreysAydin Bicer - xXALPHAWOLF1337XxDean Callahan Ervin - GumiElijah Alston - OPAL
Amber Team
Team Manager:
Ian Schwartz - Ian
Team Members:
Wesley Taylor - StrikeX114Alara Pryor - MercuryJustin Foss - JowstinJonathon Alan Hockenbbery - Crimsonskies55Paul Thomas Munday - Cain2CleanIan Schwartz - Pie
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.