A Montgomery County Community College Mustangs eSports student-athlete has been selected as the recipient of an annual scholarship.

Aidan Phelan, 19, of Mont Clare, has been awarded the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame Annual Scholarship. The scholarship, according to its website, “is given to a deserving student as determined by the College. The Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame is honored to provide much-needed funds to help close the tuition gap for worthy MCCC students.” The $10,000 scholarship, first awarded in 2018, is given in $2,000 installments over the course of five years.

“It feels great,” said Phelan. “I’m very happy.”

An Exercise Science and Wellness major, Phelan is no stranger to competing both in the digital realm and on the real-life playing field. Before starting with the College in the fall of 2021, the homeschooled student in the Spring-Ford Area School District, played football, lacrosse and wrestled for the district. He also played baseball, basketball and volleyball through his local Catholic Youth Organization league. His dad owns Phoenix Karate, a karate school in Phoenixville, and Phelan, a third-degree black belt, has been an instructor there since 2016. Last summer, he joined a rugby team.

“I’m always doing sports in some sort of way,” he said.

About a half a year into his time at MCCC, he was decided to join the Mustangs on the “Overwatch” esports team.

“During quarantine, I was super bored,” he said. “I’ve been on teams for a while online. I wasn’t doing anything, so I looked to see if Montco had a team. They did, so I signed up and now we’re here.”

The experience on the team has been excellent, he said.

“My closest friends are on the team. We talk every day,” he said. “We hang out and, winning or losing, we’re enjoying being around each other. It’s really fun.”

The “Overwatch” team consists of five starting players and another four players sitting on the bench. Phelan is dominant in the game at the damage position, similar to the running back or wide receiver position in football.

“I’ve been in the top 500 in America for damage since the beginning of December,” he said. The game ranks players from the bronze level status to grand master. Most players, he said, are somewhere in the middle at the gold or platinum levels. “I’m a grand master. Grand master is the top 1 percent.”

To maintain his dominance, Phelan plays the game at least once a day for three to four hours straight, “or for five minutes if I get upset,” he quipped.

Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation Kelly Dunbar said Phelan is very deserving of the scholarship for his work both in the classroom and on the field.

“We’re really proud of Aidan,” she said, “and his ability to balance the academic piece with the athletic piece.”

Mustangs eSports Coordinator Ryan Plummer said he was very excited for Phelan’s scholarship.

“He’s been a huge part of our team. He’s played an integral part of what we were trying to run in the fall semester. He’s done an awesome job of balancing esports and academics. It takes a lot of time -10 hours a week to commit to esports,” said Plummer. “To balance esports and academic achievements is awesome. He’s one of the better players on our team. I think it’s great he’s excelling on the team and in the classroom.”

Outside of esports, Phelan is exploring his career options in the Exercise Science and Wellness program. He is likely to graduate next year and is looking to continue his education by transferring to West Chester University. He’s thought about becoming an athletic trainer.

“Athletic trainers are great people, who have inspired me to do what they do,” he said, “but also, I might be a personal trainer at a gym. There is so much to do with this major, I just want to dip my toe in each and see which one I like.”

About the Foundation

Established in 1983, the Montgomery County Community College Foundation provides scholarships for deserving students, grants for faculty projects, equipment and technology, emergency funds for students in need, support for cultural enrichment activities on campus and financial resources for other college programs and activities. The Foundation is able to make a difference in the lives of our students thanks to the generosity of alumni, parents, community friends, private foundations and corporations. To see how you can make a difference and discuss how your gift can be most meaningful to you, contact the Foundation or call 215-641-6324.