Oscar Manzano was named the first head coach of Averett University's recently launched varsity esports program in June 2018.
Manzano joins Averett after the institution was the first four-year university in Virginia to add varsity esports — competitive video gaming with spectators — during the 2017-18 academic year. Averett is a member of two conferences, including the only varsity competitive gaming league, the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE), as well as the Collegiate Starleague, or CSL, a junior varsity conference.
Averett recently received a $100,000 donation toward its esports program. The gift will go toward an expanded, renovated facility space for the team and spectators, as well as funding additional staff positions for the program. Last fall, the university announced its entrance into the quickly growing world of competitive gaming, and the program has already grown exponentially. Qualifying current students were given the opportunity to participate this past school year, and have competed against Division I, II and III schools across the country.
Since 2017, Manzano has been a part of Invisible Threat Gaming, an organization with semi-pro teams in the esports industry. Most recently he has served as an Overwatch team manager since June 2017, where he helped recruit, train and evaluate players, coaches and analysts among other duties such as manage and supervise match play. Prior to that, he also served as a Hearthstone assistant team manager at Invisible Threat Gaming from January 2017 until June 2017. Before getting into the esports industry, Manzano worked in project management as he completed his master’s degree in public administration.
A native of Santa Ana, California, Manzano earned his bachelor’s degree in international relations from Ritsumeikan University in Tokyo, Japan, in 2014. He completed his master’s degree in 2017 from Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, Calif.
Manzano’s vision is to create a program that outshines other collegiate esports program and provides an environment where students can learn, grow and compete while preparing them for their respective careers following graduation.
