Join the team!

NMC Varsity Esports program teammates compete

An NMC Varsity Esports program team member

Four NMC Varsity Esports program team members in the esports lab

Welcome to the NMC Esports Team!

Northwestern Michigan College’s Varsity esports team began competition in Fall 2021 in the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports Conference. For the upcoming 2023-2024 season, we will be competing in the NJCAA-E and NACE (National Association of Collegiate Esports). We are recruiting players for Rocket League, Valorant, Overwatch 2, Rainbow Six: Siege, Mario Cart 8, and Super Smash Bros Ultimate.

NMC is also looking for students interested in being part of the team as content creators, casters, and live stream managers.

Teams practice and compete in the Esports Lab in the Timothy J. Nelson Innovation Center.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Esports?
- Esports describes the world of competitive, organized video gaming. Competitors from different teams or leagues compete in games like Rocket League, Overwatch, League of Legends, Rainbow Six, and EA Sports titles. In 2020, the global Esports audience was 586 million, more than double 2015 figures. It had overtaken the combined audience of American professional football and rugby and was poised to overtake baseball. Prize money won in tournaments has soared from $4 million in 2009 to $173 million in 2019, and the number of professional athletes tripled between 2014 and 2019.
What are the benefits of collegiate Esports?
- Similar to other collegiate sports, esports provides the opportunity for students to grow their skills in communication, teamwork, collaboration, critical thinking, and time management. It can give students a way to connect with other students in the college community and it can provide an opportunity to transfer to a four-year university that also has an esports program.
Are scholarships available?
- Yes! Student-athletes receive $1,000 in total scholarship money ($500 for Fall and $500 for Spring semesters) and get dedicated coaching and development.
What are Esport Athlete Requirements?
- Student-athletes must be high school graduates, be enrolled full-time at NMC (12 credits or more), and maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA.
Will there be travel involved for competitions?
- Most competitions and tournaments will occur online, but there may be opportunities to participate in LANs hosted by other colleges.
Do I have to be a certain rank to join?
- We are currently looking at all applicants. If you do not currently have a rank for the game you are interested in playing, we highly recommend that you perform your ranked placement matches to determine skill level.
Can students join the team in a non-competing role?
- Yes! We would like to have at least two students to help with shoutcasting, media, and content creation.
What is the time commitment to be an esports athlete?
- Student-athletes will have a set practice schedule and competitions every week during the season. As scholarship athletes, they will be expected to attend assigned practice times and competitions. Advising will work with students to design a schedule that works around these time commitments.

Join the team!

Fill out the NMC Esports Interest Form.

Director Terri Gustafson invites students to join the Hawk Owl Esports team.

Esports Team Interviews

An inside look at Northwestern Michigan College's Esports Team and players.

Interested in joining?

Any interested future or current NMC students are welcome to contact Esports Director Terri Gustafson at tgustafson@nmc.edu or via Discord at directorterrigus, or Esports Assistant & Head Coach Andre Dean at adean@nmc.edu or via Discord at astromaniac.