May 27, 2026 —  For years, Marist's esports players competed the way much of the gaming world does: alone, scattered across dorm rooms, connected only through a screen. 

With the opening of the University's new Esports Lab in Donnelly Hall, that has changed. 

The expanded facility is now open and in use. It sits adjacent to the existing computer lab, and is among the largest esports spaces in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). 

It houses nearly 40 computers across two private competition rooms and a main practice room, along with seven TVs, headsets, and peripherals, and a designated zone for popular titles. A display shelf holds the trophies the club has collected over years of MAAC play. 

For Cameron Achorn '26, Marist esports club president, the change from the program's former home in Hancock is dramatic.

“This space is an immense upgrade from our previous location,” he said. “Now, we can have several teams practicing and competing simultaneously.”

Since it opened, the lab has hosted practices and playoff games, and Cameron has been there most days of the week "either doing schoolwork, playing games with my team, or using it for personal enjoyment."

Stanley Martinez and Cameron Achorn '26 with the Overwatch 2 Invitational championship trophy. Photo by Nelson Echeverria/Marist University.

The shift from a cramped, shared room to a space that holds the whole program is a big part of the lab's significance. 

 "When I first saw the new Esports Lab, it immediately felt like a place our students could call their own," said Stanley Martinez, Head Coach and esports coordinator. "So many of them are used to gaming in isolation in their dorms, but now they have a shared space to connect, compete, and build community. That sense of belonging is what excites me most." 

Daniel Brogen '26, vice president and captain of the Overwatch 2 team, described being awe-struck walking in for the first time. 

"Seeing the awards won by the club throughout its history helps you feel connected to the teams that came before us," he said. 

What excites him most is the sense of community it creates. 

"It breaks down the digital barrier that is common in esports," he said.

Esports players in the new Esports Lab. Photo by Neslon Echeverria/Marist University.

Aiden Joyner '28, the club's secretary and an Overwatch player who followed the project from its initial mock-up, was astounded by the result. 

With so many game titles under one club, the old space made it hard for players to practice alongside one another. He is excited that the room enables the hosting of events that invite the wider Marist community in.

“I'm making it my mission to recognize all the faces, new and current, of those in the esports club next fall,” he said.

Esports teams hold their trophies in the new Esports Lab. Photo by Nelson Echeverria/Marist University.

Esports is among 19 club sports at the University, and the team has earned five MAAC titles across Super Smash Bros., Overwatch 2, Valorant, Rocket League, and League of Legends. Made possible in part by a gift from Deanna Fino and alumnus Michael Fino '90, the facility extends Marist's longstanding investment in gaming, reflected as well in its nationally ranked Game Design program.

 For Achorn, who waited four years for this upgrade, the value is also in what comes next. 

"This lab would allow for a greater outreach for the program," he said, "and help involve more students across campus."