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ECISD introducing esports to campuses

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ECISD introducing esports to campuses

Ector County Independent School District Director of Digital Learning Lauren Tavarez poses for a photo Thursday, October 28, 2021, at the ECISD Administration Building. (Eli Hartman|Odessa American)

Since they are just starting, they don’t have data to back it up yet, but nationwide, it’s been shown that attendance improves when the students engage in esports because they want to be there and they want to be in school. Many students who take part in esports have never been part of an organization, club or athletic team at school.
“My guess would be more than likely, before the ‘25-26 school year, we’d potentially be looking at that. We wanted to provide this opportunity for our students so that they could be competitive in this way. Again, we want them to be future ready when they leave us. Our kids deserve to be able to participate in this if they would like to,” Tavarez said.
The students are competing, communicating, engaging and getting a chance at scholarships that they wouldn’t have without the introduction of esports, short for electronic sports. And they don’t have to be the biggest, strongest or fastest to be part of it.
She added that they are focusing on after-school clubs at the elementary level. There are coaches at each of the three campuses helping to lead those clubs.
There are at least 60 students taking part in esports between Odessa, Permian and New Tech high schools, Digital Learning Specialist Christina Sifuentez said. NTO has two courses that are part of the curriculum where students can earn high school credit.
“Some are gamers themselves and that’s what piqued their interest. But some are just willing to learn and figure it out, so I also applaud that,” Tavarez said.
People may see it as just playing video games at school, but a lot of teamwork goes into it.
“We want all students to have equal opportunity to be exposed to these experiences because it could ultimately lead to scholarships and things they can excel at down the road,” Tavarez said.
Another driver was equity as many students have the equipment at home, but others do not.
“That’s an incentive for both parties, for the students and for the teachers, because they do want to make sure that they’re paying attention to their coursework and their attendance, too, because they need to be there in order to get better,” Sifuentez added.
“Esports is organized gaming in our schools. We have students that are playing video games on both desktop computers and Nintendo Switches. Some of the big benefits to esports for students that really caught our attention is that it really encourages that sense of engagement and belonging at school,” Director of Digital Learning Lauren Tavarez said.
“We’re already seeing such success at the high school level. We’re already talking about having to put together the process and protocols for tryouts, because the club is getting so much attention that you have to have some limitations on how many kids. We only have so many devices for them to be playing on, and so you don’t want to have too many kids, but we also don’t want to turn kids away that are interested in it,” she added.
The hope, Tavarez said, is that esports will spread districtwide.
What is esports?
The STEM Academy also has esports, but Tavarez said they don’t help much with that squad.
She added that the coaches are “amazing educators that are willing to step up and do this, to be able to provide the opportunity for our kids.
“We’ve got three high schools, three middle schools, and three elementaries that currently have gaming,” she said. “Typically, the older kids are participating on the gaming desktops. We’re really looking to prepare them for college scholarships. There are huge opportunities out there for esports scholarships, which is crazy to think. A stat that I found was over million in esports scholarships were awarded to high school students in 2023. Many of the major universities have created esports teams. We’ve partnered several times with UTPB. They have started their esports program, and so we’re learning this together, but they’ve been great partners already. … Two-hundred-plus colleges and universities now offer varsity esports programs.”
In the last year, Tavarez said they have organized funding to provide gaming desktop computers.
“You think about the students that really connect with this. They may have been searching for their thing. What is their thing that they’re interested in? Doing something like this may help them realize that computer and hardware and those kind of things are something that they are interested in, so it opens up doors in that way also,” Tavarez said.

Abraham Suchil, a 17-year-old senior, and 15-year-old freshman Joshua Garcia, esports athletes at Permian High School, practice in the library. Both have enjoyed having esports on campus and find that it’s an incentive to come to school. (Ruth Campbell|Odessa American)

“They have to focus while they’re doing it; they have to be adaptable in their thinking as the situations change in the game. A lot of those things are skills that also benefit them in the academic world and improve their academic achievements,” Tavarez said.
With tournaments you have a manager, marketing team and shoutcasters, or announcers. Tavarez said there is also a whole production team because professional esports, for example, are broadcast worldwide.
Research shows that esports can provide a connection for kids that, for example, athletics, fine arts and Student Council would provide, she added.

OHS and PHS will be adding esports as a course next year, she added.
Kids at Ector County ISD high schools are playing video games during class, but it’s not just messing around.
Every year, students complete a Panorama Survey that gauges their engagement and belonging in school, among other things. Those feelings take a drastic drop the older kids get, Tavarez said.
Sifuentez said OHS and PHS currently run esports after school.
As with other extracurricular activities, students have to maintain their grades, so the coaches have to make sure that they are eligible to be a part of the program, Sifuentez said.
It’s not sanctioned by the University Interscholastic League, but the state is considering it.
“The big tournaments, you can find them on TV or you can find them streamed,” Tavarez added.

She added that esports also opens career paths for kids such as coding, engineering and professional gaming.

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Purdue volleyball vs Baylor NCAA tournament final score, game result, next

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8:25 pm ET December 5, 2025

When is Purdue volleyball’s next game? Purdue volleyball next game in Sweet 16. Who does Purdue volleyball play next?

Aaron Ferguson

Barring an upset, the Boilers are headed to Pittsburgh, the No. 1 seed in their quadrant. Times for next weekend are to be determined, and Purdue will know its opponent late Saturday night. Florida punched its ticket with a sweep of No. 7-seed Rice in an upset, and the Gators will play either No. 2 SMU or Central Arkansas.

It may set up a potential rematch with SMU, which Purdue beat 3-1 on a neutral court.



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Live updates, how to watch

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The Longhorns celebrate after winning the game against Florida A&M during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.

The Longhorns celebrate after winning the game against Florida A&M during the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Friday, Dec. 5, 2025.

Mikala Compton/Austin American-Statesman

Texas volleyball, with its first No. 1 seed in three years, began what coach Jerritt Elliott hopes is a three-week journey through the NCAA Tournament Friday with a resounding sweep over Florida A&M Friday at Gregory Gymnasium.

But the competition will significantly stiffen Saturday when the Longhorns (23-3) face defending national champion Penn State in a second-round meeting. The eighth-seeded Nittany Lions (19-12), which beat South Florida 3-1 in the first game Friday at Gregory Gymnasium, have endured a rocky season that included the September departure of All-American setter Izzy Starck because of mental heath concerns.

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But Penn State still has a championship pedigree that includes eight national titles, and the team still has an All-American attacker in 6-foot-6 Kennedy Martin.

“It’s one of the storied programs we have,” said Texas coach Jerritt Elliott, who’s led the Longhorns to three of their five national titles. “Obviously, two tradition-rich programs in the sport, and that makes it great for TV and great for our fans. We’re excited to be part of it.”

Based on how they played against overmatched Florida A&M (14-17), the Longhorns look primed for the challenge. Rattlers coach Gokhan Yilmaz said a Texas defense powered by a record-setting performance by Emma Halter proved more impressive than the array of Longhorn hitters led by Torrey Stafford (13 kills).

 “I think their defensive effort was great,” he said. “In a match where everybody knows it would be a lopsided, they didn’t just hang around. They were going after every ball. That’s really impressive to see.”

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Halter led that defense with 25 digs, which set a school record for most digs in a 3-set match. 

“Honestly, it felt really good from earlier today in warm-ups,” Halter said. “I was just like, ‘I’m kind of feeling it today.’ It’s tournament time. It’s live or die, and so I’m trying to get every ball.”

Read below for a replay and highlights from the Texas Longhorns’ win over the Florida A&M Rattlers in a NCAA Tournament first-round match. 

MORE: After long journey to Austin, Texas’ Torrey Stafford leads Longhorns into NCAA volleyball tournament

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Torrey Stafford ended with 13 kills, and the Longhorns got contributions from across the lineup in an easy first-round sweep. Up next? Defending champion Penn State.

Stat leaders for Texas: Torrey Stafford with 13 kills, Ella Swindle with 20 assists, Emma Halter with 23 digs and Ayden Ames with seven total blocks. Texas leads 2-0.

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FAMU has more hitting errors than kills in this match as Texas continues to work through its bench and eye the champs in a second-round match Saturday. Whitney Lauenstein, one known as “Big Hit Whit” during her time at Nebraska, has four kills on five swings and three blocks off the bench. Texas leads 2-0.

Too much size, too much talent from Texas, which takes a 2-0 lead. Penn State is in the cheap seats watching, but I’m not sure what the Nittany Lions can glean from this match. Texas leads 2-0.

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Whitney Lauenstein has been getting some run late in the season for Texas, and she fires a pretty ball. Her first kill of the match leads to another Rattler timeout. Texas leads 1-0.

A service ace from Torrey Stafford caps a quick 3-0 spurt by Texas, and FAMU takes a time out. Texas leads 1-0.

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No drama in set one. Torrey Stafford paces Texas with five kills, Ayden Ames has three kills and three blocks, and Emma Halter tallied a whopping 10 digs.

Ayden Ames is having her way at the net for Texas with three kills on three swings and three blocks, but it’s the diving saves from Emma Halter and Rella Binney that really get the crowd going.

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That last post may have jinxed FAMU. Texas keeps swinging away, Abby Vander Wal comes off the bench for three quick kills, and Texas is on a 6-0 run.

FAMU is hanging in there early. The Rattler are making Texas work for its kills, and that’s all you can do as a big underdog.

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Ayden Ames starts it off with a spike for Texas. NCAA Tournament first round. Winner faces Penn State tomorrow.

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Penn State, the defending national champion, shook off a first-set loss and beat South Florida 3-1 and will face either Texas or Florida A&M Saturday at 6:30 p.m. in a second-round matchup. The Nittany Lions (19-12) have endured a rocky season that included the in-season departure of All-American setter Izzy Starck because of mental heath concerns, but they flashed their firepower against South Florida. Texas and Florida A&M will start at 7:08 p.m.  

The matchup between Texas and Florida A&M will likely start after its scheduled time of 7 p.m., based on the current battle between Penn State and South Florida. The Longhorns and Rattlers need their allotted warm-up time, so their match will start approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of Friday’s first match at Gregory Gymnasium. Penn State just took a 2-1 lead after winning the third set.

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Volleyball Falls at No.4 Pitt in NCAA Tournament

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PITTSBURGH – The America East champion UMBC Volleyball team season came to end as No.4 Pitt swept an NCAA Tournament first round match-up (25-10, 25-17, 25-13) on Friday night. 

Jalynn Brown led the Retrievers with eight kills, while Pittsburgh-area native Hannah Dobbs added seven kills, three digs and a block. 

Hannah Howard tallied a match-best 11 digs and ended the season with 457 digs, the tenth most in a single season in UMBC history.

Laura Fuehrer had four kills and two blocks and finished the season with 114 blocks and 101 assisted blocks, good for sixth and fifth most, respectively, in a single season in program history. 

Claudia Lllamas picked up six kills, Helen Frankovich had four on .500 hitting with two blocks and Izzy Ostvig added a kill with 12 assists and a team-high three blocks

Serin Maden had 13 assists and finished her stellar career in the black and gold with 2,461 assists.

Ella McAllister chipped in with two digs and Ema Djordjevic also saw action in the contest.

This was both the Retrievers fifth America East championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in the past six seasons.

 



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Michigan Sweeps Xavier to Advance to NCAA Tournament Second Round

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» Michigan swept Xavier in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

» Allison Jacobs tallied a match-leading 19 kills on a .326 hitting percentage.

» Maddi Cuchran recorded four aces, becoming just the fifth Wolverine with four or more aces in a tournament match.

» Serena Nyambio hit .583 with eight kills on 12 swings.

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — The University of Michigan volleyball team swept eighth-seeded Xavier 25-19, 25-15, 25-23 on Friday (Dec. 5) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament at the Petersen Events Center.

Michigan (22-10) was led by Allison Jacobs, who tallied a match-leading 19 kills on a .326 hitting percentage. She was the only player who recorded double-digit kills in the match. Ella Demetrician had nine kills, including Michigan’s final two and Serena Nyambio hit .583 with eight kills on 12 swings. Maddi Cuchran tallied four service aces to become just the fifth Wolverine in program history with four aces or more in an NCAA Tournament match. Morgan Burke and Camille Edwards led the U-M offense to a .287 hitting percentage, with Burke recording 17 assists and two aces while Edwards had 18 assists and one ace.

A kill from Nyambio opened the match, but Xavier (26-5) responded with a kill. The Wolverines used a kill from Jacobs and an ace from Cuchran to take the lead. Xavier tied the set at five and six, but U-M kept the Musketeers from taking the lead. Michigan followed with a 4-1 run, led by an ace from Burke and a block from Nyambio and Cymarah Gordon. Xavier brought the set to within one at 10-9, but a Nyambio kill ended the threat and jump-started four straight Michigan points. A block from Gordon and Jenna Hanes put Michigan up 15-11 going into the media timeout. The Musketeers took two of the next three points out of the timeout, and Michigan followed with a 5-2 run with kills from three different players and an ace from Burke to go up 21-15. Xavier took four of the next five points to force a Michigan timeout. Out of the timeout, Jacobs recorded a kill followed by a block from Hanes and Gordon to reach set point. The Musketeers called their second timeout of the set, and out of the timeout, Jacobs ended the set with a kill for a 25-19 set one win.

Xavier started the second set with two quick points to take an early lead, but it was all Michigan after that. A 5-0 run led by Cuchran, who recorded her third ace of the match, put the Wolverines ahead 8-3. After the teams traded points midway through the set, U-M went on a 4-0 run to build a 15-7 advantage, but Xavier countered with a 4-0 run of its own. A Nyambio kill and Musketeers attack error forced Xavier’s second timeout of the set, trailing 17-11. After the timeout, Michigan took eight of the final 12 points, with a kill from Demetrician finishing off the set 25-15.

In the third set, the Wolverines jumped out to an early lead, once again 8-3, led by service runs from Edwards and Jacobs. Xavier hung around and tied the match at 11 before taking the lead. A kill from Gordon tied the match at 12 and Cuchran’s fourth ace put Michigan back in front. From there, neither team held a lead bigger than two points the rest of the way, with the final 14 points alternating back and forth. Demetrician tallied the final two Michigan points as U-M took the third set 25-23 to advance to the second round.

The Wolverines will take on either top-seeded and No. 4-ranked Pittsburgh or UMBC on Saturday (Dec. 6) at 7 p.m. in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at the Petersen Events Center. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.



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Men’s, women’s track & field unveil 2025-26 indoor schedule

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Holy Cross Richard L. Ahern ’51 Director of Cross Country and Track and Field Egetta Alfonso has announced the Crusaders’ 2025-26 indoor track & field schedule for the men’s and women’s programs.

The Crusaders are set to open the season on Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Season Opener hosted by Boston University and the Alden Invitational hosted by Brown. Next weekend, Holy Cross heads to New Hampshire for the Dartmouth December Invitational that will be held on Dec. 12 and 13.

Following a break for the holidays, the team returns to action on Jan. 17 at the URI Invitational and the Suffolk Ice Breaker on Jan. 18. The women’s team will compete on Jan. 30 at the David Thomas Terrier Classic in Boston followed by the men on Jan. 31 with the order of events staying the same for the River Hawk Invitational hosted by UMass Lowell on Feb. 6 and 7.

Holy Cross will then compete in meets at Boston University/URI (Feb. 14) and Brown (Feb. 21) in preparation for the 2026 Patriot League Indoor Track & Field Championships that will be hosted by BU on Feb. 28 and March 1.

The annual New England Indoor Championships are slated to be held on March 7-8 at the Reggie Lewis Center in Boston


FOLLOW THE CRUSADERS

Be sure to follow the Holy Cross track & field and cross country teams — and all things Crusader Athletics — on social media!

X – @HCrossTFXC | @goholycross

Instagram – @hcrossmxctf | @hcrossWXCTF | @goholycross

Facebook – Holy Cross Men’s Track & Field | Holy Cross Women’s Track & Field | Holy Cross Athletics

YouTube – GoHolyCross

 





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Phoenix Athletes Shine On Day Two At Liberty Kickoff

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LYNCHBURG – Coming home with a pair of event titles and several personal bests, the Elon University women’s track and field team wrapped up competition Friday at the Liberty Kickoff inside the Liberty Indoor Complex.
 
Isabella Johnson led the Phoenix in the shot put with a fourth-place finish. The sophomore recorded a personal-best throw of 13.99m, moving into fifth on the program’s indoor performance list. Adriana Clarke placed fifth with a personal-best toss of 13.01m.
 
On the track, Elon earned two event wins as Jasmine Young and Winter Oaster claimed titles in the 5,000 meters and the mile, respectively. Young posted a time of 17:26.66, while Oaster crossed the line in 5:10.95. Shayla Cann added a sixth-place finish in the 500 meters with a time of 1:15.63.
 
In the high jump, Hannah Schonhoff finished third after clearing 1.68 meters. Newcomer Eloise Mulready placed fifth with a clearance of 1.63 meters. In the 400 meters, Duna Viñals finished fourth with a time of 57.73 while Mary Sollars took sixth in a personal-best 58.74.
 
Caden Cerminara finished seventh in the pole vault, clearing 3.75m, while Ja’Mia Johnson placed eighth in the finals of the 60-meter hurdles with her time of 8.91.
 
ON DECK
Select members of the Phoenix distance group will compete at the Sharon Colyear-Danville Opener tomorrow, hosted at Boston University.
 

— ELON —



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