MATC welcomes Lucas Kreuser as the new head coach of Esports. After being part of the institution for six months, let’s dive into who he is and his role in Esports, which is a form of video game competition where individuals or teams compete against one another. These events feature both amateur and professional gamers, often offering rewards such as trophies or cash prizes.
Who is Lucas Kreuser?
Coach Kreuser is from Wisconsin Rapids in northern Wisconsin. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in European History from Concordia University. During his time at Concordia, he joined an Esports team and embraced his love for the competitiveness of the sport.
“I used to play Call of Duty for four years at Concordia University, and even before I attended the college,” Kreuser said. He enjoyed being in a space that felt rewarding and seeing young people passionate about competing over video games.
Excited about Esports
In addition to playing Call of Duty, he also enjoys Helldivers 2, Rocket League, and various smaller indie games. Kreuser recalls feeling thrilled when he first heard MATC was launching a gaming team.
“Everyone that I had worked with thus far has had a very driven mentality towards getting it to launch,” he says. He goes on to say that Assistant Athletic Director Travis Mrozek and the former Student Life Director Erich Zeimantz had really pushed this so the institution could get a brand-new arena within such a short period of time, so that these students can compete. Mrozek says “Esports Arena” is the common name for the computer lab where the Esports team competes. According to Zeimantz, the arena is nearly completed. Once everything is finished, Mrozek says athletics will host an Open House style event for the room, which is located in M410.
On Monday, September 15, the team had its first competition of the season, which was within the WEC (Wisconsin Esports Conference). This is a statewide league in which colleges and universities compete in Wisconsin. MATC faced Lawrence University playing Rocket League and lost in a 3-1 series. Since the Esports program is new to the institution, some initial challenges had to be addressed due to technical issues, which prevented MATC from live-streaming Monday’s event.
Esports Goals
Kreuser’s goal is to spread the word about MATC Esports, as these leagues are not limited to one team per title. “We can have 2-3 teams per title and even more if we want. I want to spread the word so that our program can generate numbers,” Kreuser says. The team practices 2-3
times per week with a game on Monday. “Obviously, we want our team to do well, but we have to start by getting our name out there!” said Kreuser.
