Alex Carr, Niko Thibeault, Nathan Crouch, and Garrett Krantz, members of Marshall’s E-sports (electronic sports) team traveled to Pennsylvania Western University in Edinboro over the weekend to compete in the Edinboro Home Series. Their team went undefeated in the Sunday Championship, a 10-team tournament. The team competed in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, marking the start of a new era at Marshall.
The win has propelled the Marshall E-sports squad into the spotlight, showcasing their skills and dedication in the competitive gaming scene.
E-sports, a relatively new venture for colleges has grown quickly over the last several years. Many schools across the country now offering varsity programs and gaming scholarships.
E-sports was added at Marshall in 2021, starting out as a gaming club where students who enjoyed playing games together could do so. The club includes a variety of games with a mix of casual and competitive players.
Today, there are hundreds of students involved with the club and around 20 players who compete in games like Smite, Overwatch, Call of Duty and more. Marshall plans to launch its first varsity team this spring.
Marshall students can get involved in the club by joining the club’s Discord or reaching out to Kyle Trapp, director of E-sports and club sports at Marshall.
“This win has inspired me to keep building this program,” Kyle said. “This is a tease for what’s coming down the line.”
Niko Thibeault, originally from Waterford, Connecticut, is working to complete his master’s in education. Before coming to Marshall, Niko participated in various gaming tournaments with his team at Concord University.
“Think of like the MLB, NFL or NBA playoffs, except every LAN (local area network) is just only the playoffs,” Niko explained. “If you go in round one and lose, you’re done; unless it’s double elimination. You have to show up ready to compete at the highest level of the game.”
While competing at Concord, Niko was a CCL (College Call of Duty League) All-Star, with nine college national championships, a runner up, and third place finish.
“I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to play at many LAN events in Minnesota, North Carolina, New Jersey, Florida and more,” Niko said.
Alex Carr grew up in Huntington and graduated from Marshall last spring with a degree in accounting and finance. He is currently pursuing his master’s in accounting. Alex has been participating in E-sports at Marshall since early 2022.
“I got involved when a student named Kevin Bryant reached out about starting a Call of Duty team,” Alex said. “Kevin played a major role for the club, as the success of the early stages can be largely contributed to him and former student Nick Mattawa. I was somewhat involved in E-sports before I came to Marshall, but never really put a lot of time into it beforehand.”
Although Niko is no stranger to E-sports competitions, this tournament was a first for Alex, Garrett and Nathan.
“It was the first for three of us, but Niko has participated in these types of tournaments for years. His experience really helped us when it mattered, as he led our team well,” Alex said.
Niko took home the MVP nod from the competing teams.
“Niko getting MVP was well deserved,” Alex said. “When we are playing the game, he typically calls the strategies out while the game is going on. His ability to stay composed and make us believe in each other is a major reason why we won.”
Proud of how well the team played with such limited experience, Niko credited their teamwork for both the undefeated team victory as well as his personal MVP title.
“Everyone did what they were supposed to do, and we were able to win the whole thing. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without my teammates trusting me and listening to what I called. Without them and their willingness to fully buy-in, I do not think I could have played as well as I did. All credit goes to Alex, Garrett and Nathan.”
Trapp explained that the current goal for the new E-sports program is to make its varsity debut this spring at the Collegiate Call of Duty League tournament. The upcoming tournament will feature Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which is set to launch at the end of the month.
“This experience definitely makes me want to play more,” Alex said “I’m excited to keep playing with the team this upcoming season in January. I hope to win a few more tournaments for Marshall before starting my career as an accountant.”
