Amanda Forrester / news@whmi.com

Cleary University Esports has a new head coach.

The university announced that Avery Meiste recently took the position.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Coach Meiste to our athletics family,” Director of Athletics Max Ballinger said. “His passion for competitive gaming, student development and team culture stands out immediately. As Esports continues to grow locally and nationally, we’re confident Coach Meiste will lead our program to new heights and create an environment where our student athletes can thrive in-game and in the classroom.”

Meiste previously served as the Director of Esports for Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio. He oversaw the team’s first action as members of the WHAC, where they competed in “Valorant,” “Overwatch 2” and “Rocket League.” He also hosted and oversaw tournaments and took the student athletes to LAN tournaments.

He completed his bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism from Grand Valley State University, where he served as an Esports team captain for “Overwatch” and game leader for “Valorant.” He began coaching Esports for West Catholic High School in Grand Rapids while still at GVSU. Following graduation, he worked as a volunteer coach for the university’s “Valorant” club Esports team before being named the first varsity head coach for “Valorant” at GVSU in 2023. He accepted the head coach position at Defiance College the following year.

“I’m excited to start making a positive impact on our student athletes’ college experience at Cleary,” Meiste said. “I’m a coach who’s deeply committed to creating a meaningful experience and I look forward to helping this great group of student athletes build lasting memories.”

Cleary is one of few universities in Michigan that offers Esports, a competitive sport that is rapidly growing among high school and college students.

The university said Esports “draws a completely new population of students who previously weren’t involved in athletics. Now they have a sport specific to their talents.”

Cleary’s Esports arena has 18 state-of-the-art gaming stations, with plans to add six more. There is also custom signage, chairs, mouse pads and broadcast equipment.

Research shows participants in Esports are “highly driven individuals who have high GPAs, high test scores and high graduation rates,” according to the press release from Cleary. “Through Esports, they learn teamwork, camaraderie, school pride, time management and leadership.”

(photo credit: Cleary University)