7/22/26
 
SCRANTON, Pa. – The Lackawanna College Athletics administration is pleased to announce that Adrienne McIntire has been named as the Lackawanna College Esports Program Manager, taking over the Falcon Esports program ahead of the 2026-2027 scholastic year.
 
"Adrienne brings a unique combination of collegiate coaching experience, enrollment expertise, and innovative program development that will significantly enhance the student-athlete experience at Lackawanna College," said Lackawanna College Director of Athletics, Erik Larson, on the move to bring on McIntire. "Her proven ability to grow participation, build meaningful recruiting pipelines, and create inclusive opportunities makes her an outstanding addition to our athletics department."
 
McIntire joins Lackawanna College with over a decade of esports coaching experience, and comes to the Falcons after spending the last three years as Director of Esports at Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska, where she managed the program and oversaw recruiting efforts for student-athletes across several game titles.
 
"The clear care and support from the college (Lackawanna) is why I wanted to take over the program." says McIntire about what brought her to Lackawanna. "It's refreshing to see an institution offer Esports for the right reasons."
 
Before her time at Midland, McIntire was a head coach at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, where she overhauled the program and grew the roster size from just six student-athletes to 25. McIntire has coached individual games at UMass and Kent State Esports programs, and she has been nominated five times for awards for women in STEM and gaming, including most inclusive esports organization.
 
"I've been in collegiate esports for ten years. During that time, I've developed a strong recruiting network I can work with," says McIntire.
 
McIntire inherits a successful Lackawanna College esports program that earned three national championships this past season, and has won five national titles in its brief existence. During the fall 2025 semester, the Lackawanna College Rocket League squad won a national championship in NJCAAE competition, rallying in the Grand Final from 3-0 down to win its third national title and first since fall 2023. Then, as the calendar flipped to 2026, the Falcons picked up a pair of titles in the spring semester, with Rainbow Six Siege winning a national title in NECC play, and Xavier Lasenburg snagging an individual title in Street Fighter Six action in the NJCAAE.
 
McIntire's hiring also comes at a time of great transition for Lackawanna College, or, more particularly, its athletics program, as the Falcons pursue membership in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) and as an NCAA Division II program.
 
"The addition of Adrienne McIntire represents an important step in the continued growth of Lackawanna College Athletics and our commitment to expanding opportunities in esports," said Larson. "Adrienne's proven success in program development, student recruitment, academic innovation, and community engagement aligns perfectly with our vision for building a competitive and sustainable esports program."
 
Lackawanna's success on the national level certainly piqued McIntire's interest, but she also measures success beyond just competition.
 
"Success can be tracked in several ways," said McIntire. "The most obvious is our competitive ability, but I also track success by the skills we develop and refine, the relationships we build, and the legacy we leave for the next generation of student-athletes.
 
"Personal growth and the ability to take what we learn from esports and apply it to life is the real success."