'Berg adds 3 new sports

Three new varsity teams will be added to the Heidelberg University Athletic Department this summer. The university recently announced it will add men's and women's swimming and Esports for the 2023-24 school year. This summer, the university is seeking to hire head coaches for the new programs. "We are excited to welcome three new teams and two new sports to Heidelberg," Greg Cooper, Heidelberg athletic director, said in a release provided by the university. "Our administration has identified these sports as opportunities for strategic growth for the university." Heidelberg has hosted swimming as part of an extracurricular organization, but the new teams will be the university's first time competing at the varsity level since the early 1980s. Heidelberg will be the sixth Ohio Athletic Conference school to sponsor swimming, according to the release. "Men's and women's swimming will fit in well here with the proximity to an already existing high-quality facility and the number of schools in and around the area that already sponsor the sport," Cooper said in the release. Teams are to use the local Tiffin YMCA facility to train. Swimmers will then compete at the conference and NCAA levels during the winter season. Heidelberg will join the National Association of Collegiate Esports, the largest collegiate Esports organization with nearly 200 colleges and universities from across the country. Heidelberg's Esports team will be co-ed and is to practice at the GEM (Gaming, Esports and Media) Center. "The growth of Esports has been exponential over the last decade. Every potential student has grown up with gaming and computers as a part of their life," Cooper said in the release. "Esports is a natural segue to several existing academic programs on campus including the gaming minor and computer science major." The university currently has an Esports club on campus. According to the university, the three new varsity teams will bring Heidelberg's total to 23. Those interested in applying for one of the head coaching positions can inquire and apply at https://www.heidelberg.edu/careers.