Esports Club’s Gold Team Reaches NECC ‘Smash Ultimate’ Nationals

The East Texas A&M Esports Club’s Gold team achieved its highest-ever finish after reaching the national tournament for the National Esports Collegiate Conferences’ (NECC) “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate” Spring 2025 season. This was the club’s first-ever appearance at a national tournament since its establishment in Fall 2023.

The club’s competitive “Smash Bros.” teams are split into Gold and Blue squads. During the regular season, the Gold team finished 6-1 in the NECC Great Plains A conference. The team’s only loss came against the University of Houston Red team, which finished the season undefeated. The Lion Gold team reached the finals of the Great Plains Playoffs before falling to UH Red for a second time.

The Gold team’s performance during the season qualified them for the 48-team national tournament, which began April 15. In their first-round matchup, ETAMU Gold fell to Illinois State University Esports by a score of 12-9.

The Gold team's competitive roster consists of the following students (Main “Smash” characters in parentheses):

• Obinaru Anaenugwu (Byleth and Inkling)
• Byron Lowrey (Pikachu)
• Kendall Ramirez (Hero and Joker)
• Michael King (Piranha Plant and Bowser)

Esports Club President Adam Morris had high praise for the team's performance this season.

“I believe this year was fundamental in establishing our foundation and presence here at ETAMU. We were able to implement many new systems, games and features, all while getting comfortably moved into our lab,” Morris said. “The main element that continued to boost our success was our students. Without their hard work, we wouldn’t be nearly where we are today. They are talented, and I’m glad we can continue providing opportunities to help them reach that status.”

Big changes are on the horizon for Esports at East Texas A&M, with the club slated to add competitive teams for the games “Marvel Rivals” and “Rocket League.” The club's new Esports lab is now open in the Journalism Building, and they plan to host their first in-person tournament in Fall 2025.

Learn more about the Esports Club at East Texas A&M.