Powering Up the Program: Head E-Sports Coach Ben Kurtyka

Monaca, PA - Penn State Beaver E-Sports is extremely excited to announce the hiring of Head Coach, Ben Kurtyka. Coach Kurtyka will step into his role after serving as the Interim Head Coach this Fall. E-Sports currently plays 5 games which Coach Kurtyka is excited to work with. The team is competing in Fortnite Zero Build Duos, Fortnite Build Trios, Valorant, Marvel Rivals, and Rocket League.

Coach Kurtyka is a local from New Brighton, PA where he played football, was on their Mock Trial team, threw for Track and Field, and even started their first E-Sports Team there during his senior year. Coach has experience with a range of technology through his work on a Cybersecurity Analytics & Operations Degree as well as having some other skills working on a minor in Criminal Justice. Coach Kurtyka said “I enjoy a large range of games but competitively Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Overwatch are my favorites”, though he looks to connect to each athlete on their favorite games. The team is excited to welcome a new coach to their lab and look forward to working with him during this inaugural season and want to continue to push forward and hopefully make playoffs by the end of season.

Now being the Head Coach, Kurtyka has a plan and said "We will continue to help grow the unique potential our campus has by having a varsity level esports team. I plan to do this by helping to build structure in an emerging sport and facing the problems that come up as a team. We will continue to battle and grow as a team, improving our skills and continue to be a front runner in our league." Athletic Director, Andy Kirschner said “We look forward to having Coach Kurtyka join our staff and look forward to him being able to help guide the team during the season. This is an opportunity for the team and the department to grow and Coach Kurtyka is ready to take the next step.” Our staff and students look forward to having Coach Ben Kurtyka join us and continue to develop the program. We look forward to seeing what the rest of the season has to offer and are excited by this next step.

The E-Sports lounge is located in the Laboratory Classroom Building Room 104. For more information regarding how to join E-Sports or for questions please contact Coach Kurtyka at bmk5546@psu.edu or Athletic Director, Andy Kirschner at ack121@psu.edu.