KENOSHA, Wis. —
Alex Chuluunbat (ParaMedx), a senior studying accounting from Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin, plays for the Carthage Smash Bros. Red team. He competes against other colleges within the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) and Wisconsin Esports Conference (WEC). Chuluunbat operates in fast-paced, split-second decision-making environments inside virtual fighting stages.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is a crossover platform fighting game for the Nintendo Switch, developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd., 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 it easier to launch them 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 people 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.
Chuluunbat's esports journey began when he attended The Racine Engineering Arts and Leadership (R.E.A.L.) School (6-12). Early in his high school tenure, Chuluunbat occasionally played Super Smash Bros. Ultimate at lunch tables with a group of friends. After some time, he decided to compete on the R.E.A.L. School's Smash team during his senior year. Ultimately, Chuluunbat aimed to continue his esports career as college came calling.
"I came to Carthage because I really loved the atmosphere of the campus, the great accounting program, and the wonderful esports program. I always felt like Carthage was the place for me."
— Chuluunbat on why he chose Carthage as his college
Alongside his passion for esports, Chuluunbat has always possessed an interest in accounting. Since attending Carthage College in August 2023, he has developed a valuable portfolio that opened the door to becoming a Tax Specialist at H&R Block. Chuluunbat has held this position for 10 months and became proficient with Blockworks tax software. With this knowledge, he prepared more than 50 returns accurately during the latest peak season. Before H&R Block, Chuluunbat served as an Income Tax Preparer for Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) from February 2025 to the present, which allowed him to study the nuances of individual tax returns and how specific information can affect someone's tax refund. Chuluunbat's tax preparation experience was made possible because of the opportunities Carthage has offered.
While Chuluunbat crunches numbers in the real world, he is known in esports for doing the same in collegiate Smash Bros. matches. The 2023-24 competitive year was Chuluunbat's inaugural season with Carthage Smash. In Fall 2023 NECC competition, Chuluunbat teamed with then-junior captain Will Stevens (LunarSynergy), then-sophomore
Connor Grubisic (Spacefood), and then-freshmen Jackson Bossart (MechanicalMerlyn) and Nile Thompson (PromisingSage) on Smash Bros. Red.
"Starting freshman year, I had a lot of fun playing with the team [Connor, Jackson, Nile, and Will] at that time. I began to find my stride and had tremendous support from everyone on the team. My biggest highlight was visiting the Midwest Esports Invitational."
— Chuluunbat on his freshman-year experience on Carthage Smash
For the Fall 2023 NECC regular season, Smash Bros. Red finished 2-3 overall with a 4-7 game record. Back then, Smash Bros. Crew Battles had six regular-season weeks. With these statistics, they made the Midwest playoffs and were awarded the No. 8 seed. However, their run was short-lived, as No. 1 St. Ambrose University Bees swept Smash Bros. Red, 2-0, on Nov. 14, 2023.
After his freshman year, Chuluunbat transitioned to the Smash Bros. Black team, where he took a leadership role to assist newcomers to the program. Here, he teamed with a freshman trio of Caitlyn Kienast (PreciousSponge), Michael Ortin (Phoenix), and
Shannon Pasters (MintMelee). As a sophomore, Chuluunbat sought to grow his skill set.
"Sophomore year was great as well. I felt like this was the year I got to hone in on my skills. I remember going to that MSOE qualifier [Spring 2025 WEC], and having a blast there. All this experience set me up for junior year, which I think was my best."
— Chuluunbat on how his sophomore year presented a positive evolution toward his esports career
In Fall 2024 NECC, Chuluunbat and company finished 1-6 overall with a 2-11 game record in the North B Stage. As a result, Smash Bros. Black finished seventh out of eight teams in North B and missed the postseason. Although this occurred, all players gained more competitive Smash experience.
After the fall, Chuluunbat captained Smash Bros. Black through the Spring 2025 WEC season. There were a couple of roster moves, as Bossart and then-sophomore Yazminn Lugo (Subby) joined the team. In the regular season, Smash Bros. Black finished with a 1-6 overall and 3-10 game record. Despite this, Chuluunbat still had the chance to compete in WEC LAN Qualifiers at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) campus. Although his team came out empty-handed, the experience, as Chuluunbat mentioned, helped prepare him for his best year yet.
Transitioning to the 2025-26 competitive year, Chuluunbat returned to Smash Bros. Red and reunited with then-senior Grubisic and then-sophomores Pasters and
Rylee Preston (Ender14). Chuluunbat recalls that "junior year was when I really started to take the game more seriously…and the effort paid off." That it did, as Chuluunbat secured Smash Bros. MVP honors at the 2025-26 Carthage Esports banquet on May 12 and became more consistent with his gameplay.
In the Fall 2025 NECC campaign, Smash Bros. Red competed in the Division III – Midwest B Stage. As the regular season concluded, Chuluunbat and company finished with a 3-4 overall and 6-9 game record, good for fifth place in Midwest B. However, the cutoff for each of the two stages in a particular conference is the top four teams. This means that Smash Bros. Red barely missed the postseason. Despite this, Smash Bros. Red showed significant improvement, especially in its practice and film study, which were taken more seriously.
Lastly, for the Spring 2026 WEC campaign, Chuluunbat teamed up with Grubisic, Pasters, and Preston once more. Additionally, then-sophomore
Samuel Bergamo (Scorp) joined Smash Bros. Red. In the regular season, the team finished with a 2-5 overall and 4-10 game record. With these metrics, they placed 24th out of 27 teams. Despite the low placement, Smash Bros. Red still qualified for the Southeast Regional LAN. On April 18, Chuluunbat and company finished 0-3 overall with a 1-6 game record in a Day One round-robin group stage. The following day, Smash Bros. Red participated in the Day Two bracket due to an MSOE JV forfeit. However, they were defeated 2-0 by UW-Milwaukee Club Gold and 2-0 by the Gateway Redhawks in a third-place game.
In his career,
Alex Chuluunbat is a one-time Most Improved Player (2024-25 Carthage Esports Banquet on May 14, 2025) and a one-time Most Valuable Player (2025-26 Carthage Esports Banquet on May 12). Chuluunbat has achieved 99 knockouts to 81 falls in the NECC since Fall 2024, according to available statistical data. In the WEC, he has accumulated 59 knockouts to 54 falls since Spring 2025, according to available data.
"To me, this program has meant a lot. I got to meet a bunch of great people on the team and the faculty, be a part of something big, and enjoy one of my favorite games of all time. I would say esports has been one of the greatest experiences at Carthage, and I wouldn't trade it for the world."
— Chuluunbat on what the Carthage Esports program has meant to him
Heading into his senior year, Chuluunbat is excited to fuel his Smash Bros. passion with Carthage Esports for one last time across the Fall 2026 NECC and Spring 2027 WEC seasons.
Carthage Esports is currently in season with WEC competition and will resume regularly scheduled livestreams starting Tuesday, Sept. 29, to kick off the Fall 2026 NECC season and the 2026-27 competitive year. We extend our gratitude to those who consistently support the Carthage Esports program.
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 informed when broadcasts go live. Lastly, be on the lookout for recaps on the Carthage Athletics – Esports page once the Fall 2026 season begins.
