According to the Wisconsin High School Esports Association, more than 80 schools have expressed an interest in competing in tournaments. Marquette University also fielded an esports team in the fall of 2019 making it the first major-conference Division I athletics program to enter the world of esports.Ĭompetitive gaming is already popular in Wisconsin high schools. It was the first school in the state to join NACE, according to a Bryant & Stratton news release. Bryant & Stratton College in Milwaukee launched its team this fall. Several Wisconsin universities already have esports programs. More than 5,000 student-athletes have played in NACE-sanctioned competitions, according to the organization. All three schools will belong to the National Association of Collegiate Esports, which has more than 170 member schools. The University of Wisconsin-Stout and Carroll University will both launch esports programs in the fall of 2020, according to their websites. It's not the only Wisconsin university planning to add esports to its athletic program next year. "We want it to be inclusive to all of our students."Ĭurrently, Lakeland has an esports club with more than 30 members, according to a news release from the school. "We didn't want to make it exclusive just to the esports varsity team," Gallianetti said. It'll be open to intramural teams and recreational players, in addition to the varsity squad. It will include 18 gaming stations, six consoles, a lounge and an area for spectators. Lakeland is renovating an existing building to house its new co-ed esports team. More than 700 prospective Lakeland students from Wisconsin, Illinois and Michigan's Upper Peninsula have identified esports as the collegiate sport in which they're most interested, Gallianetti said. "We know that competitive gaming is one of the nation's fastest growing activities," he said. Since Lakeland announced the addition of esports Monday, the school has already received inquiries from almost a dozen students interested in the program, according to Lakeland's director of external relations David Gallianetti. It's one of a growing number of Wisconsin schools to offer competitive gaming.
The Sheboygan County-based university announced this week it will add esports to its varsity athletic offerings in 2020. These student-athletes play in a different kind of arena.
Lakeland University's newest varsity athletic team will play in a renovated, state-of-the-art space.
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