AU G UST 202 1
final four in nation Esports League of Legends team competes among 450 other teams BY LANCE SCHWARTZ • CHIEF COMMUNICATION OFFICER
When Bethany established its esports program in 2019, it's safe to say no one saw the team's rise to national prominence coming just two years later. But that's exactly what happened when the Bethany Vikings Esports team reached the final four of the North American 2021 College League of Legends (CLoL) Championship Tournament in May 2021. League of Legends is the world's most popular video game and competitive esport. There are roughly 450 colleges and universities competing in the League of Legends arena. Bethany made its entry into the world of competitive team electronic gaming on April 23, 2019, with a kick off event for the new varsity esports team. The goal was to establish a top-tier program. The effort saw Bethany taking the new esports program to the highest level possible by joining the premier collegiate sanctioning organization – the National Association of Collegiate eSports (NACE). To head up the effort, Bethany appointed Lucas Fricke, who also teaches in the languages (German, Spanish) as the director of the program while Seth Grabow, Production Studio Specialist at the College, would serve as the team's coach and media director. 20
At the kickoff event, Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Ted Manthe explained that the team would share the same structure as other varsity team sports at the College. "Just like any student athlete, [esport competitors] will be mindful of their academic success." Bethany President Gene Pfeifer also participated in the kick-off event and noted that the addition of esports could prove to be a catalyst to broaden Bethany's already successful media and broadcast programs. Pfeifer explained, "In launching an esports program [our intent] is to link Bethany's unique niche in media arts broadcasting such as our Maverick hockey broadcasts with esports." The first step in making Bethany esports a success in the world of broadcast happened when alumnus Eric Lonnquist was hired to give a boost to the team's online presence. Lonnquist is one of the top world-wide broadcast figures in esports gaming. Lonnquist is a 2006 Bethany graduate, and is a professional commentator for the internationally
