KENOSHA, Wis. — Shannon Pasters (MintMelee), a junior studying psychology from Chicago, Ill., is a starting player for the Carthage Smash Bros. Red team. She competes against other colleges within the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) and Wisconsin Esports Conference (WEC). Pasters operates in fast-paced, split-second decision-making environments inside virtual fighting stages.

For those unfamiliar, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a crossover platform fighting game for the Nintendo Switch, developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and led by Masahiro Sakurai. The goal is not to drain an enemy's health bar, but to knock them outside the boundaries of a stage. As fighters take damage, their percentage increases, making them easier to launch farther away with heavier attacks.

The game's roster includes a plethora of Nintendo-related franchises, including Animal Crossing, Donkey Kong, Fire Emblem, Kirby, Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, Metroid, Splatoon, Star Fox and Super Mario. Additionally, third-party representation comes from franchises such as Banjo & Kazooie, Bayonetta, Castlevania, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Mega Man, Metal Gear, Pac-Man, Persona and Street Fighter.

Within NECC and WEC competition, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate begins with a "Crew Battle" format. Crew Battles are team competitions in which two groups of players face off in a series of one-on-one matches. When a player loses, they switch with a teammate, while the winner stays in and may face a new opponent from the other team. The match continues until one team loses all of its stocks. Each team consists of four players, each with three stocks, for a total of 12. In a best-of-three format, this process is repeated for each set.

Pasters' interest in video games began during her childhood. She grew up playing Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker on the Nintendo GameCube. Double Dash!! introduced a new mechanic to the Mario Kart franchise, with two characters per vehicle. One player drives while the other handles items. Wind Waker presents a story set hundreds of years after the events of Ocarina of Time. In Hyrule, the gods flood the ancient kingdom. Then, a giant bird kidnaps Link's sister, Aryll. Link joins forces with others to rescue her, discover Ganondorf's scheme and tap into the gods' power.

When the world was at a standstill during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pasters leaned on her childhood game, Mario Kart. During the pandemic, Pasters received a Nintendo Switch with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as an eighth-grade graduation gift and spent a lot of time playing it. As lockdowns were initiated, people were limited in what they could do outside due to the unprecedented spread of COVID-19.
After this period, Pasters began her high school journey at Mother McAuley Liberal Arts in 2020. During her junior year, she became a starter on the school's Mario Kart 8 Deluxe team, using a setup that included Classic Link, Master Cycle, Wood Wheels and the Pink Parasol Glider. During her senior year, Pasters competed in Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, in which she used Banjo & Kazooie.

The highlight was that Pasters was able to share the experience with her boyfriend, as Brother Rice and Mother McAuley are brother-sister schools in the Chicago area. Between the two schools, esports became the only coed sport. Pasters and her boyfriend competed in PlayVS matches against different schools under the Illinois High School Esports Association (IHSEA).

PlayVS serves as the official platform and operating system for high school and middle school esports. It provides the infrastructure to organize sanctioned, competitive video game leagues in which students compete for their schools and aim for state championships, similar to traditional varsity sports. The IHSEA is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity organization founded by educators to assist high schools throughout Illinois in developing, managing and expanding competitive esports programs. It serves as a link between informal school gaming clubs and formal varsity-style competitions.

Pasters' senior year was memorable, as she was named captain of the Girls Mario Kart 8 Deluxe team and received Player of the Week honors in October 2023. In the IHSEA State Championship bracket, the Boys Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team finished fifth, while the Girls Mario Kart 8 Deluxe team placed 10th. As the coed high school esports journey neared its end, it was time for Pasters to decide which college she wanted to attend for academic and esports purposes.

"I chose Carthage because it had an esports program, which was something I wanted to continue in college. Also, the college was near my campus, and it included a major I was interested in, nursing, until I changed it to psychology later on."
— Pasters on why she chose Carthage College

With her PlayVS experience, Pasters joined the Carthage Smash Bros. Black team in Fall 2024 with eagerness to bond with her teammates: Alex Chuluunbat (ParaMedx), along with former players Caitlyn Kienast (PreciousSponge) and Michael Ortin (Phoenix). Although the Fall 2024 NECC season ended with a 1-6 overall record and a 2-11 game record, all players gained more competitive Smash experience. During the Spring 2025 WEC season, Pasters remained on Smash Bros. Black, where she teamed up with Kienast once again, alongside two new additions: former player Jackson Bossart (MechanicalMerlyn) and Yazminn Lugo (Subby). With a 1-6 overall record and a 3-10 game record, all members took it as another valuable learning experience.

In Fall 2025, Pasters was promoted to the Smash Bros. Red team following the departure of several members from Black and the graduation of Red starter Will Stevens (LunarSynergy) in May 2025. The promotion largely reflected the veteran tandem of then-senior Connor Grubisic (Spacefood) and then-junior Chuluunbat. Both recognized Pasters' potential and provided her with an opportunity to compete at a high level while gaining valuable competitive experience. Then-sophomore Rylee Preston (Ender14) rounded out the four-person team and posted impressive numbers as a first-year starter, earning Most Valuable Player honors at the 2024-25 Carthage Esports Banquet on May 14, 2025.

Unfortunately, Carthage Smash Bros. Red missed the Fall 2025 NECC playoffs, finishing 3-4 overall and 6-9 in games in Division III – Midwest B and placing fifth, one spot short of a postseason berth. Despite missing the postseason, the team showed significant improvement, especially in practice and film study, which were taken more seriously. During the Spring 2026 WEC season, Pasters made brief appearances on the team.

Since her Fall 2024 NECC debut, Pasters has chosen Banjo & Kazooie more than any other characters. They are the main characters of Rare's Banjo-Kazooie video game series. Banjo is a friendly, laid-back honey bear, while Kazooie is a noisy, sassy red-crested breegull bird often riding in his blue backpack. Together, they embark on adventures to combat the evil Gruntilda.

Banjo & Kazooie serve as a flexible team for both projectiles and rushing enemies, employing classic Nintendo 64 moves to dominate the stage. Their notable move, Wonder Wing, is an invincible dash forward that causes significant knockback but can only be used five times per stock. They effectively zone opponents with quick eggs and grenades and utilize strong beak-slamming smash attacks to secure kills.

Shannon Pasters has achieved 48 knockouts and 80 falls in her Carthage Esports career within the NECC. She recorded the third-highest number of knockouts (22) on Smash Bros. Black in Fall 2024 and the fourth-highest (26) on Smash Bros. Red in Fall 2025. In the WEC, she earned 23 knockouts and 39 falls, including ranking third with 14 knockouts during Spring 2025.

"The [Carthage Esports] program has meant so much to me. Video games have always helped me expand my social skills and knowledge of broader subjects, which is so much fun to discuss with others. I love bonding and making friends within my team and beyond—memories that will last a lifetime. It has also given me so many opportunities to see what is out there in the world of esports and explore areas such as casting and producing. Carthage Esports has definitely helped me become a better player and even a better person."
— Pasters on what the Carthage Esports program has meant to her

As she approaches her junior year, Pasters aims to continue improving her gameplay while remembering to cherish those close to her and create more lasting friendships and memories with those she already knows well.

Carthage Esports is currently in the offseason and will resume regularly scheduled livestreams in late September and early October to kick off the Fall 2026 season and the 2026-27 competitive year.
Follow @carthageesports on all social media platforms to stay updated on content involving the upcoming Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 seasons. Follow our Twitch channel to be notified when broadcasts go live. Lastly, be on the lookout for recaps on the Carthage Athletics Esports page once the Fall 2026 season begins.