The East Texas A&M University (ETAMU) Esports Club reached a historic milestone this spring as its Gold team advanced to the national tournament in the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) for “Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.” This marks the club’s first national tournament appearance since its founding in Fall 2023.
The ETAMU Esports Club fields two competitive “Smash Bros.” teams—Gold and Blue. During the Spring 2025 season, the Gold team finished with a 6-1 record in the NECC’s Great Plains A conference. Their only regular-season loss came at the hands of the University of Houston’s Red team, who remained undefeated through the season.
ETAMU Gold reached the Great Plains Playoff finals, falling once again to UH Red. Their playoff performance secured them a spot in the 48-team NECC national tournament, which began April 15. In their opening-round match, the Lions fell to Illinois State University Esports by a score of 12-9.
The Gold team’s Spring 2025 roster included:
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Obinaru Anaenugwu (Byleth and Inkling)
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Byron Lowrey (Pikachu)
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Kendall Ramirez (Hero and Joker)
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Michael King (Piranha Plant and Bowser)
Esports Club President Adam Morris praised the players and the program's progress.
“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.”
Looking ahead, the ETAMU Esports Club plans to expand with competitive teams for “Marvel Rivals” and “Rocket League.” The club recently opened a new Esports lab in the Journalism Building and will host its first in-person tournament in Fall 2025.
