Today, the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) is proud to announce a new competitive effort coming this February that is open exclusively to NCAA Division III member institutions. 

The series of tournaments will take place this February over three consecutive weekends and will feature three popular core titles that the NECC currently sponsors. The winner of each of the three tournaments will receive a custom championship trophy to commemorate their win.

The tournaments are open to each of the 422 colleges and universities classified as Division III for National Collegiate Athletic Association competition. Division III is currently the largest division in the NCAA by school count. 

Schools do not need to be a member of the NECC, and it is free for all schools to participate. 

For the full schedule of events, see the graphic above or see the detailed information below. 

“I am grateful for the opportunity to help spearhead the first Division III Esports Tournaments,” said Curt Kimm, Head Coach / Director of Esports at Coe College.

Kimm, who also serves as a board member for the NECC continued, “Division III schools make up the largest proportion of collegiate esports programs in the country. While the traditional NECC structure allows NCAA Division III members to compete against all schools, this will be an opportunity for Division III schools to find out who the best is within our NCAA Division. I encourage all D3 schools, no matter your team’s skill, to sign up for the tournaments!” 

“Following our Project I sponsorship, we had a handful of schools and directors reach out to us about creating something similar for NCAA Division III members,” said NECC Commissioner Jacob VanRyn. 

“With the help of our board members, we collected feedback and today’s announcement is a result of what we’ve heard from a number of our NCAA Division III members. The February tournament structure will be a test case this semester to see how it is received and what we can potentially improve upon going forward. I think there are a lot of possibilities going forward with this new endeavor.” 

2026 Spring Semester Schedule of Events 

February 7-8: Overwatch 2
February 14-15: Rocket League
February 21-22 Valorant

Registration for the three tournaments will open soon and the NECC will provide more information on the formats and schedules as we approach each event.

ABOUT THE NECC

The NECC fosters innovative competition experiences, provides quality broadcasting services, and works to support an inclusive community within collegiate esports. The NECC was started to provide the collegiate gaming community with the respect it warranted and deserved. The conference prides itself on responding to the needs of its schools, directors, coaches, and most importantly - its players.

With more than 500 colleges and universities currently competing, the NECC strives to be a positive home for the collegiate gaming community.

For more information about the NECC, their schools, games, and community, visit their website at necc.gg/

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