ROCK ISLAND -- Augustana College Director of Athletics, Mike Zapolski, has announced the hiring of Payton Tucker as the Director of Esports.

"Esports at Augustana had a tremendous inaugural 2022-23 season, and I look forward to working with Payton Tucker as he assumes the Director role heading into our second year of varsity competition," said Zapolski "Payton served in a similar role at a small college in Arkansas the last two years, so he brings important skills to Augustana and is eager to engage with our students to further build our program."

Tucker comes to Augustana after serving in the same role at Lyon College in Batesville, Ark. for the past two seasons. During his time as Director of Esports with Lyon, he handled the entire operations for the program, as well as handled the recruiting efforts for various competitive game titles. He was brought on to lead the College's Esports program after serving as the Intern Esports Coach at Springdale High School, where he coached 20 students.

"I am excited to join Augustana College and continue building upon the accomplishments of the Esports program," Tucker said. "I cannot wait to meet the players and staff as we begin a new era of Augustana Esports! Go Augie!"

Tucker earned his degree in Educational Studies in 2020 from the University of Arkansas and was awarded the Freshman Academic Scholarship. He was a member of the Arkansas Esports team as a player, captain, coach, and manager. Additionally, he was a member of the Riot Scholastic Association of America in 2021, where he served as part of the CLOL Selection Committee.