To keep up with the changing landscape of intercollegiate athletics, UT Dallas Director of Athleticshas announced the addition of esports, more commonly known as competitive online gaming, to the slate of varsity sports sponsored by the department, starting in 2018-19.A national search for a head coach for the Comets' 14th varsity sport and first co-ed sport sponsored by the university will take place this summer. Esports, which involves opponents facing one another through multiplayer matches, or through a time/score based competition, will be the first sport added in the department since volleyball was added in 2004-05. UTD will initially field teams that will participate in both League of Legends (Riot Games) and Overwatch (Blizzard Entertainment)."We are excited with the addition of esports to UT Dallas," said Petitt. "Esports athletes are today's new athlete this addition aligns perfectly with our students and their interests. We think athletics is the logical place for esports and will provide them these athletes the same experience as our other 13 sports."The Comets are expected to join the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), a newly formed governing body for the emerging world of competitive college video gaming. UTD will look to become just the fourth university from the state of Texas to join NACE, which was formed in 2016. NACE has expanded from seven programs to a count of nearly 70 institutions in less than two years. Other institutions from Texas who are members of NACE are Jarvis Christian, North Texas and Texas Wesleyan.For any inquiries regarding esports, contact esports@utdallas.edu