KENOSHA – On Wednesday, March 18, Carthage Esports resumed Spring 2026 Wisconsin Esports Conference (WEC) action after a lengthy league-wide spring break. By the end of Weeks Four and Five, Overwatch (OW) Red remained undefeated to earn a 5-0 record as of Tuesday, March 31. League of Legends (LoL) stayed in the top 10, while Smash Bros reached the top 20.
Spring 2026 WEC Week Four and Five Recap – Carthage League of Legends (2-3) vs. Chippewa Valley Technical College [CVTC] River Otters (1-3) and UW-River Falls Falcons (3-2)
Carthage LoL, including senior captain Quentin Zeller (Wolfstrike) [Mid Lane], senior Gavin Johnson (Cahara) [Top Lane], junior Christian Delgado (Bravo) [Support], sophomore Owen Johnson (OwenThePotato) [ADC/Bot Lane], sophomore Katherine Rieckmann (Firerose22) [Support], and freshman Ian Saner (Toothless) [Jungle], resumed Spring 2026 WEC competition on March 18 after enjoying their break.
League of Legends Game Explanation: League of Legends (LoL) is a popular 5v5 MOBA game where two teams of players control champions to destroy the enemy nexus (base) by earning gold and experience to increase their power. Players select unique champions with different abilities to achieve these objectives. Unique champions help defeat minions, enemy champions, and destroy towers to control the map and secure victory.
After five weeks of Spring 2026 WEC action, Carthage LoL holds a 2-3 Overall record and a 5-6 Map record. These stats place the Firebirds in ninth position, ahead of Chippewa Valley Technical College [CVTC] (1-3, 4-6) and UW-Whitewater Black (0-4, 0-8). Carthage LoL earned 2-0 sweeps vs. Milwaukee School of Engineering [MSOE] Raiders Red (2-2, 2-4) in Week Three and vs. CVTC in Week Four.
Losses include a 2-0 loss in Week One vs. the MSOE Raiders Crimson (3-2, 7-4) on Wednesday, Feb. 18, a 2-1 loss in Week Two vs. UW-Stout Blue Devils (2-2, 4-5) on Monday, Feb. 23, and a 2-0 loss in Week Five vs. UW-River Falls Club (3-2, 7-5) on Monday, March 30. As we approach the April 18-19 Spring 2026 WEC Southeast Regional LAN, Carthage LoL will aim to remain competitive and earn a couple more victories.
Carthage LoL will return for an off-stream Spring 2026 WEC Week Six match vs. UW-Madison Badgers Red (3-2, 5-5) on Monday, April 6. Stay tuned for social media updates on all of Carthage's WEC teams.
Spring 2026 WEC Week Four and Five Recap – Carthage Overwatch Red (5-0) vs. Milwaukee Area Technical College [MATC] Stormers Blue (3-2) and UW-Stout Blue Devils (4-1)
Carthage OW Red, featuring junior captain Mason Stenger (zXc), junior Joy Schultz (JumpyWizard), sophomore Billy Flanagan (ChickenFries), sophomore Deacon Kirvan (FerociousPig), and sophomore Adam Hollis (Hollister09), resumed Spring 2026 WEC action on Tuesday, March 24, after a lengthy break. Despite the time off, the Firebirds went 2-0 across Weeks Four and Five to stay undefeated. This included a 3-0 sweep over MATC and a 3-1 victory over UW-Stout.
Overwatch Game Explanation: Overwatch is a free-to-play, 5v5, team-based hero shooter where players pick a unique hero with distinct abilities and roles (Tank, Damage, or Support) to complete specific objectives-based game modes (Control, Escort, Hybrid, Push, Flashpoint). The core gameplay involves a team-focused brawl, where cooperation and strategy are essential to win.
Upon Week Five's conclusion, Carthage OW Red finds themselves in first place in the Southeast Conference with a 5-0 Overall and 12-2 Map record. This season, the Firebirds have conquered these teams: UW-River Falls (2-2, 6-6) in Week Two on Tuesday, Feb. 24, MSOE Crimson (4-1, 13-4) in Week Three on Tuesday, March 3, MATC Stormers Blue (3-2, 9-8) on Tuesday, March 24, and UW-Stout Blue Devils (4-1, 13-5) in Week Five on Tuesday, March 31.
For Week Five in particular, Carthage OW Red engaged in a great showdown against Southeast Conference rival, UW-Stout. The following game modes were played alongside these corresponding maps: Control (Lijang Tower), Push (Runasapi), Flashpoint (Aatlis), and Hybrid (Midtown).
Game Mode Explanations
- Control is a game mode where teams compete to capture a point from 0% to 100% in a best-of-three format. To win the map, a team must secure two out of three points.
- Push involves two teams competing to guide a robot across multiple checkpoints. The winning team is determined by the robot's meter distance over 10 minutes.
- Flashpoint is similar to Control, but competing teams aim to keep three out of five objectives for a shorter duration.
- Hybrid combines elements of Control and Escort, where the attacking team must fully capture a point to unlock the payload. Then, they must escort the payload.
Map Explanations
- Lijang Tower is a three-stage Control map featuring three distinct segments inside a futuristic Chinese metropolis: Control Center, Garden, and Night Market. Control Center is an indoor, high-tech skyscraper floor with low walls and a large pillar. The Garden is an open-air area featuring a central point surrounded by a deadly moat. Night Market is densely positioned with flank routes through surrounding buildings and stalls.
- Runasapi is a Push map set in a hidden Peruvian Andes city that serves as the home of the support hero, Illari. It features a colorfully linear, high-altitude city powered by solar energy, blending modern technology with traditional Andean architecture, and highlights the lore of the destroyed Inti Warriors.
- Aatlis is a small Flashpoint map characterized by its futuristic, nighttime urban environment inspired by Moroccan architecture, featuring green roof tiles, horseshoe arch openings, and arabesque decorations.
- Midtown is a Hybrid map set in a futuristic New York City, designed with 1920s-50s art deco aesthetics and featuring high-ground-heavy, multi-lane routes. Attackers escort a NYFD fire truck from a pizzeria spawn through city streets, passing a subway checkpoint, toward a final delivery point at Grand Central Terminal.
Map One (Lijang Tower / 2-1 Control Win)
In Round One, the Firebirds held the Control Center objective until they reached 98%. Hollis [Support – Kiriko] and Flanagan [Tank – D.Va] recorded two crucial eliminations to keep Carthage OW Red afloat. As a unit, the team did an impeccable job of forcing UW-Stout away from the objective. Consequently, the Blue Devils were stuck in their own spawn for a bit of time. In retaliation, UW-Stout player, Flak [Tank – Hazard], took out Kirvan [DPS – Vendetta], and the Blue Devils surrounded the objective. UW-Stout reached 36% before Hollis helped the Firebirds recapture the objective. After a brief 99% overtime period, the Blue Devils reclaimed the objective. Next, UW-Stout locked down the Control Center until it reached 99%. Then, both teams engaged in an intense overtime battle. Stenger [DPS – Emre] decided the round as he used Emre's "Override Protocol," which allows Emre to ascend and utilize high-calibre explosives to destroy opposing threats. Stenger used it on UW-Stout player, Southwheast [DPS – Mei],
For Round Two, UW-Stout prevented Carthage OW Red from capturing the Night Market objective on Lijang Tower. Essentially, the Blue Devils reached 100% and performed well in team fights. Flak [Tank – Wrecking Ball] thrived in Night Market, as Wrecking Ball is highly useful in close-quarter scenarios. From start to finish, he put a wrench in Carthage OW Red's plans as he rolled around the objective and deployed a deadly minefield in a late-game scenario to bring home the victory. Additionally, UW-Stout's DPS players, Southwheast [Mei] and Spinal [Soujourn], recorded valuable picks to ensure the Blue Devils kept their momentum. Before UW-Stout won, Hollis selflessly used Kirko's Kitsune Rush to get himself on the objective to buy time for his team to return from spawn and contend. However, the timing was not right, and the Firebirds suffered a loss.
In Round Three, both teams squared off in Lijang Tower's Garden. To start, Kirvan [DPS – Venture], Schultz [Support – Lucio], and Stenger [DPS – Sojourn] pushed into Garden and annihilated Krilp [Support – Lucio], Southwheast [DPS – Mei], and Spinal [Sojourn]. After a successful team fight, the Firebirds took the objective first and held it until 64%. Then, UW-Stout forced Carthage OW Red to regroup after capturing the point and bringing them to 41%. To contest the point, Flanagan [Tank – D.Va] self-destructed a mech right in front of Flak [Tank – Hazard], which opened the door for Kirvan and Stenger to take out the second and third layer of UW-Stout's team composition. Carthage became the first team to reach 99%, but they couldn't finish the job as UW-Stout won a team fight to extend the round. To conclude Control, both teams were in a 99%-99% overtime situation. Stenger used Sojourn's "Overclock" ultimate to take out Southwheast, Kirvan eliminated Krilp and Spinal, and Hollis, who swapped to Jetpack Cat, pressured Flak off the point, and helped Carthage OW Red secure a nail-biting win.
Map Two (Runasapi / 94.29m - 53.30m Push Loss)
In Push, Carthage OW Red captured the robot first and recorded 36 meters of total distance before UW-Stout took it for themselves. For the initial team fight, Hollis [Support – Mizuki] and Stenger [DPS – Cassidy] secured eliminations against Flak [Tank – Mauga] and Southwheast [DPS – Vendetta], respectively. As a result, the Firebirds had more breathing room to take the robot and keep UW-Stout at bay. However, Flak would not be contained for long as he quickly eliminated Hollis and Stenger, while Southwheast found a way to pick off Flanagan [Tank – Ramattra]. Although Carthage OW Red attempted to limit UW-Stout's distance, Flanagan was shot in the back by Spinal as he used Sojourn's Charge Shot. At this point, the Blue Devils had already recorded 32 meters. Once Flanagan was taken out, they soared to 62 meters with about three-and-a-half minutes left. However, an unexpected technical pause occurred shortly after.
After the technical pause, UW-Stout increased the robot's distance to 94.29 meters. Within seconds, UW-Stout player Pocket [Support – Moira] wiped both of Carthage OW Red's support players, Hollis and Schultz [Support – Lucio]. Meanwhile, Southwheast picked off Stenger, who swapped to Sojourn. With less than two minutes remaining, Flanagan used Ramattra's Nemesis form to eliminate Flak and Krilp [Support – Lucio]. Nemesis form allows Ramattra to fight with two extra arms that are used for Close-quarters brawls. The Firebirds capitalized on that successful team fight and advanced 53 meters before UW-Stout stopped them for good with one minute remaining. With 10 seconds left, Flak and Spinal shut the door as they claimed the lives of Hollis and Schultz. As a result, the Blue Devils earned a hard-fought Push victory.
Map Three (Aatlis / 3-1 Flashpoint Win)
With the series tied 1-1, Carthage OW Red and UW-Stout entered Flashpoint on Aatlis. For Flashpoint One, Carthage reached 99% before UW-Stout got some percentage on the board. This was accomplished because Kirvan [DPS – Venture], Hollis [Support – Kiriko], and Flanagan [Tank – D.Va] won the initial team fights against Flak [Tank – Mauga], Southwheast [DPS – Venture], and Spinal [Sojourn], before the point was unlocked. The Blue Devils chipped away at Carthage OW Red as Flak and Spinal made quick work of Kirvan and Schutlz [Support – Lucio]. Despite that, Flanagan, Hollis, and Stenger [DPS – Sojourn] held down the objective and increased the percentage from 74% to 99%. Southwheast and Pocket [Support – Kiriko] then cleaned up the remaining Firebird players. However, UW-Stout only held the point until they reached 66%. Flanagan and Stenger led the team's retake push, and it was successful. Flanagan eliminated Flak, Southwheast, and Spinal. Then, Stenger successfully eliminated Pocket. Thus, Carthage OW Red were up 1-0 in Flashpoint.
Flashpoint Two was a one-sided game where Carthage OW Red achieved a perfect record, never letting UW-Stout score even once. To start, Stenger displayed his skills in a Sojourn battle against Spinal. Then, Flanagan and Kirvan followed up with eliminations on Pocket and Southwheast. Although the Blue Devils contested, Carthage OW Red crossed 92%, as Stenger used Sojourn's "Overclock" ability to eliminate Spinal, who swapped to Emre. For the finishing touches, Schultz booped Krilp in a Lucio duel, and Flanagan eliminated Southwheast. Flashpoint Three would then go to UW-Stout, having won crucial team fights to extend the series. Although the Firebirds reached 38%, Flak [Tank – Ramattra] led the charge for a retake fight as he claimed Schultz's life. Before they reached 100%, UW-Stout fought through a few tough team battles initiated by Carthage OW Red. However, Spinal took out Kirvan and Stenger with Emre's "Override Protocol" ultimate to limit the Firebirds' offensive power.
To conclude Flashpoint, Carthage OW Red captured the fourth point from 0% to 100% and prevented UW-Stout from fully taking it. During the first team fight, Flanagan, Kirvan, and Stenger stood strong. The Firebirds dominated so thoroughly that Flak [Tank – Ramattra] had no choice but to fall to his death as Schultz [Support – Lucio] booped him off the map. Before they reached 99%, UW-Stout tried to stop Carthage OW Red. However, Flanagan collided with Flak while playing as D.Va, which allowed the Firebirds to eliminate UW-Stout's Tank easily. In addition, Hollis won a Kiriko duel against Pocket, and Stenger [DPS – Sojourn] eliminated Krilp [Support – Lucio]. As Carthage OW Red annihilated the bread and butter of UW-Stout's team composition, the DPS players were scrambled and had no choice but to surrender. Thus, the Firebirds claimed a 3-1 Flashpoint victory.
Map Four (Midtown / 3-1 Hybrid Win)
To conclude the series, Carthage OW Red and UW-Stout competed on Midtown for the Hybrid game mode. The Firebirds started on the attacking side, while the Blue Devils were on defense. After two minutes and 30 seconds, Carthage OW Red secured the first objective. They were given four minutes to secure this objective, and they battled through a few team fights in the process. To unlock the payload, Hollis [Support – Kiriko] stayed firm on point and launched projectiles at Flak [Tank – Domina], who was lodged into a narrow doorway by Flanagan [Tank – D.Va].
Within a four-minute escort period, Carthage OW Red successfully moved the payload through a middle and end checkpoint to secure three points – one for unlocking the payload and two for passing both checkpoints. However, the journey became eventful. To pass the middle checkpoint, Carthage OW Red contested the payload in Midtown's subway station. With 20 seconds left, Flanagan [Tank – D.Va] eliminated Flak, while Stenger [DPS – Emre] made quick work of Southwheast [DPS – Mei]. Hollis stayed on point and guided Carthage's payload past the middle checkpoint. The Firebirds were then given one minute and 27 seconds to guide the payload to the final destination. It took the team one minute to cruise their way to three points. It included an ending sequence where Kirvan used Venture's "Tectonic Shock" ultimate to launch a few narrow-cone shockwaves to eliminate Flak. Lastly, Stenger dismantled Krilp [Support – Lucio] as UW-Stout's frontline was gone.
On defense, Carthage OW Red held UW-Stout back from an objective capture for two minutes. However, they were unable to keep the Blue Devils off for long. In a desperate act, Flak picked off both Firebird supports, Hollis and Schultz [Support – Lucio]. While Flak peaked at the right time, Southwheast caught Flanagan after he self-destructed a D.Va mech to eliminate Spinal [DPS – Emre]. Lastly, Pocket [Support – Kiriko] took out Kirvan. With four minutes and 15 seconds to work with, UW-Stout threatened to pass the middle checkpoint. However, the Firebirds' defensive efforts were incredible.
To win the series, Carthage OW Red won two crucial team fights. The first happened with one minute and 16 seconds on the clock. Under the subway station, Hollis launched Kiriko's "Kitsune Rush" to give his team an extra boost. He went on to eliminate Pocket, while Flanagan meleed Southwheast and exploded a D.Va mech on Flak. For the final team fight, Schultz launched Lucio's "Sound Barrier" to give her team extra healing. This allowed Kirvan to wreak havoc in UW-Stout's backline as he eliminated Krilp and Spinal. Hollis would contest the payload and proceed to throw enough projectiles at Flak to eliminate him. The final kill came after Hollis chipped Southwheast's health, and Stenger [DPS – Emre] laid the boom with an explosive projectile.
Carthage OW Red's Player Stats – Spring 2026 WEC Week Five vs. UW-Stout Blue Devils
- Billy Flanagan (ChickenFries) [Tank/DPS]: K/D/A [83/24/37], E/D [3.46], DMG [41,758], MIT [56,909]
- Deacon Kirvan (FerociousPig) [DPS/Tank]: K/D/A [65/36/9], E/D [1.81], DMG [33,191], MIT [6,796]
- Mason Stenger (zXc) [DPS]: K/D/A [75/24/5], E/D [3.13], DMG [57,841],
- Adam Hollis (Hollister09) [Support]: K/D/A [40/21/70], E/D [1.90], Healing [39,530]
- Joy Schultz (JumpyWizard) [Support]: K/D/A [45/29/45]. E/D [1.55] Healing [26,617]
Season Outlook Comments (Billy Flanagan): "We've been playing amazingly all season long. We've only lost one map to MSOE and UW-Stout. MSOE is a very respectable team, and UW-Stout was considered to be the best team in Wisconsin, or at worst, the second-best. We've improved so much as a team, and I'm extremely proud of all of our players. I can rely on all of my teammates to make a play at any given time. We've been testing different compositions and are very comfortable using various play styles. Deacon and I have superb flexibility as we swap between the Damage (DPS) and Tank roles. We still have a long stretch in front of us, but I'm confident in our team. We have to keep playing our game, and we'll be in a great spot for Regionals."
Carthage OW Red will return for an off-stream Spring 2026 WEC Week Six match vs. UW-Madison Badgers Red (3-2, 5-5) on Tuesday, April 7. Stay tuned for social media updates on all of Carthage's WEC teams.
Spring 2026 WEC Week Four and Five Recap – Carthage Smash Bros. (2-3) vs. Wisconsin Lutheran College [WLC] Vikings (1-4) and Lakeland University Muskies (3-2)
Carthage Smash, consisting of senior captain Connor Grubisic (Spacefood), junior Alex Chuluunbat (ParaMedix), sophomore Shannon Pasters (MintMelee), and sophomore Ryleen Preston (Ender14), continued Spring 2026 WEC action on Wednesday, March 25, after its spring break. Between Weeks Four and Five, the Firebirds finished 1-1. They beat Wisconsin Lutheran College (WLC) 2-0 and were swept 2-0 by Lakeland University.
Smash Bros Crew Battle Explanation: Crew Battles are a team-based competition where two teams of players face off in a series of one-on-one matches. The losing player swaps with another teammate, and the winning player remains in the game, potentially facing a new opponent from the opposing team. The battle continues until one entire team runs out of stocks. Each team has four players, each carrying three stocks, for a total of 12. For a best-of-three series, the process repeats for each set played.
Upon Week Five's conclusion, Carthage Smash holds 19th place in the Southeast Conference with a 2-3 Overall and 4-6 Set record. The Firebirds have secured victories against the following teams: CVTC (2-3, 4-7) in Week One on Wednesday, Feb. 18, and WLC (1-4, 3-8) in Week Four on Wednesday, March 25. On the flip side, losses came against UW-Whitewater JV (3-2, 7-4) in Week Two on Wednesday, Feb. 25, UW-River Falls Club (4-1, 8-3) in Week Three on Wednesday, March 4, and Lakeland University (3-2, 7-4) in Week Five on Wednesday, April 1.
For Week Five in particular, Carthage Smash faced rival Lakeland University. Although the Firebirds gave it their all, the Muskies, led by AshertheOne, spoiled their night.
Set One (Lakeland 5-0 Win): To open Set One, Pasters (Banjo) went toe-to-toe with AshertheOne (Dr. Mario) on Pokémon Stadium. Asher secured an 11-9 lead for the Muskies. He recorded two up-smash knockouts and one forward-air. After the pair of up-smash knockouts, Pasters got Asher up to 178% damage. Then, she shot a couple of eggs near the rightmost ledge, which canceled Asher's up-b recovery. The forward-air was executed to claim Pasters' last stock after she attempted to hit Asher with Banjo's Wonder Wing. Although Pasters was eliminated, she still took one stock away from Asher.
Next, Preston (ZSS) faced Asher on Town & City. Although he took one stock, Asher successfully took out Preston to secure a 10-6 Lakeland lead. Asher's first knockout was on a forward air that blasted Preston past a moving platform. For the second knockout, Asher got behind Preston and executed a perfect back throw to claim his second stock. To prevent himself from being three-stocked, Preston hit his signature Stun-and-Up-B combo on Asher. Both players were down to one stock, and Asher stepped up with a huge up-smash, and Preston attempted to backflip for better positioning.
Grubisic (Ness) then came in and laid the beast to rest on Small Battlefield. However, Asher claimed two of Grubisic's three stocks before elimination, which gave Lakeland a 9-4 lead. Asher's first knockout was yet another up-smash as he stationed himself under the leftmost platform. Next, Grubisic would attempt to strike Asher from above, but Asher read his opponent's move and secured a second elimination. To end the round, Grubisic positioned himself near the rightmost ledge, jumped up, and hit Asher with a superb back-air to eliminate Lakeland's finest.
With a 9-4 lead, Lakeland sent in Meta (R.O.B.) to face Grubisic in a brief Pokémon Stadium match. Despite Grubisic dealing 117% damage to Meta, he kept all three stocks. Meta grabbed Grubisic, drove him into the ground, and finished him off with R.O.B.'s up-B. With a 9-3 lead, Meta's next opponent was Chuluunbat (Bowser). On Pokémon Stadium, both players battled until the very last stock. Meta scored the first kill with a well-timed back-air as he caught Chuluunbat ledge-guarding too aggressively on the left side. Immediately after respawning, Chuluunbat read Meta perfectly and hit a forward-smash to knock him away and even the stock count at 2-2. After a short while, Chuluunbat used his signature side-B move. With one stock remaining, Meta fought hard to narrow the gap, landing another down-throw and up-smash combo. To finish the round, Chuluunbat dodged a laser beam and executed a sharp forward-air to secure the win. The score then stood at Lakeland six, Carthage one.
Although Chuluunbat claimed one stock off Lakeland player Ethan (DK), he was eliminated by an up-throw into a down-air combo. As a result, the Lakeland University Muskies captured a 5-0 Set One victory.
Set Two (Lakeland 4-0 Win): To begin Set Two, Chuluunbat (Bowser) started things off against Ethan (Lemmy) on Small Battlefield. Despite an early combo spree, Chuluunbat claimed the first stock after he pinched Ethan off the rightmost ledge with a down-air and proceeded to input a forward-air for good measure. To avenge his early fall, Ethan executed an up-b, which dropped Lemmy's explosive clown car on Chuluunbat, who was blasted off the stage. To continue his hot streak, Ethan threw Chuluunbat past the leftmost ledge. Although Chuluunbat repositioned in the middle, Ethan barreled in with a side-b and ran him over with Lemmy's clown car. Then, Ethan took Chuluunbat's last stock after he executed an up-b hammer swing combo. This forced Chuluunbat off the stage, and Ethan then dropped a cannonball to eliminate him.
With an 11-9 stock lead, Ethan's next opponent was Preston (ZSS) on Small Battlefield. Ethan continued his frantic combo output to claim Preston's first stock. Preston attempted to go off stage, but Ethan swung a hammer to bounce him off the rightmost ledge. As Preston regained his footing, Ethan trapped him in a forward-smash. Ethan's second knockout came after another side-b clown car move. To even the stock count 1-1, Preston finally found off-stage success as he pulverized Ethan with a series of forward-air kicks. Preston nearly fell after a vicious back-throw from Ethan. However, Preston regained position and waited until he found an angle to execute a round winning forward-tilt.
As a result, the score became Lakeland (Nine), Carthage (Seven). In a brief round on Small Battlefield, Meta (R.O.B) entered with a fresh set of three stocks against Preston, who had one stock carry over from the previous fight. Despite the disadvantage, Preston claimed two stocks. The first came off a forward-air and the second came when Preston lined up a satisfying stun and down-air combo. Preston nearly gave Carthage the lead. Preston stunned Meta on his last stock. However, Meta escaped quickly and baited Preston into utilizing his aerial recovery. As a result, Meta came underneath and executed a round-sealing up-air. Thus, Lakeland took a 7-6 lead.
Next, Bergamo (Kirby) entered and faced a one-stock Meta on Pokémon Stadium. Despite Meta being at 57% damage, Bergamo could not keep Meta at bay. As he executed Kirby's sword up-b recovery, Meta took advantage of high-ground and sent Bergamo crashing down with a powerful down-air. After two minutes of traded blows, both players were above 100% damage. Meta evened the stock count as he once again took advantage of high ground when Bergamo aimed to go low on the rightmost ledge. Bergamo aimed to hit Meta with Kirby's down-b, but he fell too far down to make a recovery, and Meta slammed him with another down-air. Immediately after his respawn, Bergamo found an angle to eliminate Meta, who was at 132% damage, with a powerful forward smash. The score became Lakeland (Six), Carthage (Four).
After Meta's knockout, Lakeland sent in Soren (Byleth) to battle Bergamo on Pokémon Stadium. Although Bergamo was on one stock, he knocked out Soren once with a timely up-smash at the center stage. To win the round, Soren would input a jab combo to open up Bergamo's shield and eliminate him. Bergamo was in an unfavorable position as he was at 159% damage. Lakeland would then take a 5-3 lead.
In the final battle, Soren clashed with Grubisic (Ness) on Small Battlefield. Grubisic struck first blood with a methodical down-air after Soren tried to create space for himself near the rightmost ledge. Soren was on his last stock, but stayed determined to flip the script and claim all of Grubisic's stocks. Upon a PK Fire dodge, Soren proceeded to hit a forward-smash on Grubisic to claim stock one. To even the count, Soren executed a down-spike a few feet away from the leftmost ledge. To end the series, Soren charged up Byleth's neutral swing and broke Grubisic's shield open. However, Grubisic's character was dizzy and couldn't move. This allowed Soren to wind up a series-clinching forward-smash to secure a 4-0 Set Two win for the Muskies.
Carthage Smash's Player Stats – Spring 2026 WEC Week Five vs. Lakeland University
Season Outlook Comments (Alex Chuluunbat): "Overall, I believe the team is doing great right now against the WEC competition we are competing against. Compared to the Fall 2025 NECC season, we've made significant progress. Practices and Gamedays are going well. However, one area we all need to improve on is playing more. Much of the skill in fighting games comes down to putting yourself in certain situations and knowing how to respond."
Carthage Smash will return for an off-stream Spring 2026 WEC Week Six match against a To Be Announced opponent on Wednesday, April 8. Stay tuned for social media updates on all of Carthage's WEC teams.
Carthage Esports will return for Spring 2026 WEC Week Six action with League of Legends tonight, Monday, April 6, Overwatch on Tuesday, April 7, and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate on Wednesday, April 8. These matches will not be streamed on the Carthage Esports Twitch channel, but they could be seen on an opposing college's livestream or on a livestream run by one of our players. Be on the lookout for more Spring 2026 WEC recaps as we inch closer to the April 18-19 Regional LANs.
