Two members of the Kettering University “Rainbow Six Siege” varsity team were named All-NACE at the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE) National Convention in Indianapolis.

The NACE named two teams at the conference July 11-13. Nolan Jones ’24 received Team 1 honors while Charlie Sweet ’24 earned a spot on Team 2. For comparison, this is similar to a traditional athlete receiving First- and Second-Team All-America honors. 

“It is nice to have another accolade to add to my career, as I am on my way out,” Jones said. “It is nice to be chosen over many other skilled players to justify that I am as talented as I think that I am.”

Both Jones and Sweet are at a Champion rank for “Rainbow Six Siege,” which puts them among the top 1.7%  of players in North America. To move up and down the ranks, similarly-ranked players compete against each other.

Sweet also said it felt incredible to be chosen.

“I’ve had a relatively quiet personality compared to some of my other peers in the league, but to know that my performance was recognized by others is a great honor,” he said. “... I wish I could extend the same honors to the rest of the team as well because each of those guys deserves a lot more recognition for the time, hard work and extra effort they put in throughout the year.”

Varsity “Rainbow Six” Coach Lucas Sweet earned a nomination for the Coach of the Year award.

“It means a lot to be nominated for NACE Coach of the Year, but it also gives me a lot of drive moving forward to apply myself more to the team and try to earn the title next year and continue the success of the program,” Lucas Sweet said.

This is the first time Kettering students have been named All-NACE. For the past two years, Jones was on “Rainbow Six” developer Ubisoft’s Collegiate All-Star team, but that league didn’t run this year.

Typically, NACE takes nominations for its All-NACE honors, but the “Rainbow Six” team was new this year. Instead, the NACE Competition Council selected the students.

Charlie Sweet, who majors in Chemical Engineering, co-ops at Asahi Kasei Plastics North America in Fowlerville as a process engineer and as a manager of long-term improvement projects. He said he hopes to continue at Asahi Kasei after graduation and earn an MBA. He also plans to continue his Esports career.

“After spending nearly four years pouring all of my free time into playing competitive ‘Rainbow Six,’ I think it would be a really cool hobby to continue with later in life,” Charlie Sweet said. “I’ve always dreamed of working my way up to playing in the pro league after college.”

Jones, who majors in Electrical Engineering, also plans to continue playing. His last Co-op was at Spartan RV Chassis, where he worked on circuit boards for test fixtures and helped engineering technicians. 

“I’d like to continue to work on circuit boards, but if I find another job, I’d continue that work on the side,” he said. “I’d probably continue to play in weekend tournaments with my old teammates if they’re willing.”

Jones said participating in Esports showed him how hard work pays off.

“Esports definitely gave me something to constantly work toward and improve,” he said. “I was able to have the drive that allowed me to get to where I am today. It gave me a solid understanding of how much work it takes to be good at a game, a class, a trade, etc. It showed me how much time it takes to do well.”

For Charlie Sweet, his Kettering experience would have been completely different without Esports. He met many of his friends and acquired new skills as part of the team.

“I don’t think it’s too difficult to balance. It actually helped my time management a lot,” Charlie Sweet said. “I’ve learned I can’t procrastinate as much if I’m actively setting time aside for Esports in my day.”

Jones and Charlie Sweet said the team and program wouldn’t be where it is without their coaches’ support.

“The staff running the program is especially incredible,” Charlie Sweet said. “Dan [Nowaczyk] is such a strong and incredible person. I’ve had such a positive experience throughout this program, and I hope for others to be able to have a similar experience as well.”

Esports Coach Dan Nowaczyk is proud of the team’s accomplishments.

“It’s amazing to see our students’ hard work and dedication to their craft paying off,” Nowaczyk said. “It really goes to show our approach of creating a solid foundation for them to build on is working.” 

These honors come weeks after the team won the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) National Championship for “Rainbow Six Seige.”

“I always knew we had top-tier talent on our roster,” Lucas Sweet said. “It means a lot to me to see our players recognized as All-NACE as well as bringing home Kettering University Esports’ first national championship.”

While Lucas Sweet didn’t win Coach of the Year this time, Nowaczyk is convinced next year will be his time.

“To see him make that short list is awesome and really speaks to the work he does with our athletes and the level that our coaches are taking these athletes to,” he said. “Next year, he’ll be bringing it home. I have no doubt.”

More than 100 students are part of the University’s Esports program. In addition to “Rainbow Six,” the University has teams for “League of Legends,” “Overwatch,” “Valorant” and “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.” 

Esports also hosts weekly “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” tournaments from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. Tuesdays in BJ’s Lounge. Doors open at 6 p.m. Anyone interested in a friendly match is welcome. The tournaments are open to the public. All ages and skill levels are welcome. For more information, email esports@kettering.edu.

Kettering University offers Esports scholarships of up to $5,000 a year. To learn more, click here.