Lancers Esports team prepares for Nationals

Eastern Wyoming College’s Esports team has earned a spot to compete in Fortnite at Nationals.
It was merely spring in Torrington, March 2024, when Caleb Spitzer decided what Eastern Wyoming College needed: an Esports team. Spitzer knew it would be a unique addition to campus and an engaging way to recruit prospective students. The team members who compete are Ryder Tillard and Allen Woodard, both who play Fortnite.
Being able to play semi-professional at such a high level has been a dream of his, Tillard said.
“As a Freshman I had set the goal to make nationals and to do just that is very special,” Tillard said. “I am also pursuing agricultural business, which is very important to my family and myself. I think it’s pretty neat that I’ve bridged the gap between the ranch and video games to do what I love to do.”
Spitzer said when he spearheaded this in March, he was still gauging the competition skill floor.
Back in March, his team competed in tier 3 competitions when the official season started. After he saw how Tillard played, he realized where the competition for the Lancers would fall: tier 1. Now, they are creeping into the post-season as a tier 1 Esports team.
On paper, they are the best group according to Spitzer, with the other teams close in skill level. He expects to see the skill level grow across the board at nationals. At regionals, the Lancers went 6-1 and landed the first-place spot.
A total of eight teams – two from each region – compete in Nationals, and it is held all online starting Dec. 9 Spitzer intends to host a livestream for those interested in watching the Lancers compete.
There are nearly 25 titles of games offered in Esports and as of now Spitzer is open to exploring his avenues. Since they are still a new team, he said they are looking at the bigger picture and the interest of future students.
The only active tier 1 game EWC has currently is Fortnite but Spitzer said by their spring season next year, Madden and Mario Kart will be added to tier 1 from student interest. This will also add four new players to the team.
“EWC has been very supportive [of our team],” Spitzer said. “Right now, we’re in our exploration phase. Over time, we will focus on narrowing down [our club games].”
Spitzer is working on establishing an Esports coalition/collaboration initiative in the region. Once Spitzer collaborates with more schools – high school and higher education – he wants to dial in on the games played on each Esports team as a state.
“We want to get more programs and schools running games,” Spitzer said. “It’s much better competition if we have local rivalries.”
After nationals, Spitzer will be focused on prep for Fenworks in late March; an Esports and drone racing program for high school students. The program is a recruiting tool for EWC, as they host the event every year Spitzer said.