Kansas Wesleyan University has selected Ethan Weis as the new program director for Esports, as announced by director of athletics Steve Wilson.

Weis joins the Coyote family after spending the last few years in the finance industry working for Empower Retirement, a 401K provider for some of the bigger companies in the world.

“I want to thank the university for the opportunity, my family for the support, and my friends I’ve played and competed with for years in various games (both virtual and traditional),” Weis said. “Those competitive experiences prepared me for this new era.”

“Ethan possesses such a unique and important set of skills that will lead him to success as he takes on Kansas Wesleyan’s esports program,” Kansas Wesleyan Athletic Director Steve Wilson said. “He’s extremely organized and comes to the job with a business sense, and his gaming knowledge is deep.”

Weis’ experience in esports runs deep, especially in Salina. Weis volunteered at the Salina Public Library’s tech center when it opened in 2005 and helped run gaming tournaments for three years at SPL. The Library hosted several different game tournaments.

His experience also reaches beyond hosting local tournaments.

In 2010 Weis traveled to Denver for a Halo tournament organized by Major League Gaming, and was involved with gaming before the term “esports” became mainstream.

Weis says to look for continued growth of the program under his leadership.

“We will build on a foundation of great teammates who work hard and expand into new games as we improve those we already compete in,” he said.

“Ethan has a passion for Kansas Wesleyan, and I have a passion for connecting Salinans to Kansas Wesleyan,” Wilson said. “I am thrilled to welcome Ethan back to our community, and excited to see him get started in 2022-23.”

Weis is a Salina native, graduating from Salina Central High School in 2008.