The Hesston College esports program hit the ground running in their inaugural season with two teams winning divisional championships and punching their tickets to the national tournament! Valorant, Overwatch, Super Smash Bros., Rocket League and Fortnite formed in the fall and competed in two leagues during the regular season: the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) and Playfly College Esports. The seasons lasted six to seven weeks, depending on division size, followed by playoffs featuring the top eight teams in each division. The program also participated in the Wildcat League Invitational which included college esports programs from across Kansas. Visit hclarks.com to read more about that tournament.
Season Overview
Valorant - 14-3 overall record, Playfly division champions, national tournament qualifiers
Overwatch - 7-6 overall record, Playfly division finalists
Super Smash Bros. - 3-4 overall record
Rocket League - 11-4 overall record, NECC division champions, national tournament qualifiers
Fortnite - Playoff qualifiers, top-15 finishes in both "Build" and "No Build" playoffs
Valorant
The Valorant roster featured Dan Guillaume (Absecon, N.J.), Joseph Twibell (Aberdeen, Wash.), Bryce Rydman (Hoquiam, Wash.), Ethan Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and Nick Win (Yangon, Myanmar). They came within one map win of an NECC regular season title, but fell in the first playoff game against Park University. Their regular season saw victories against teams like Missouri Valley College, Augustana College, University of Houston - Downtown and University of Iowa, with losses to Murray State College and Grand View University.
In their Playfly Conference, the team achieved an undefeated season and won both the regular season and divisional championship. Key victories included triumphs over the University of Portland, University of South Alabama, Northeastern State University, University of British Columbia - Okanagan, Missouri Science & Technology, Cornell University, Coastal Carolina University, Augusta University and another victory over UBC - Okanagan in the championship.
Overwatch
The Overwatch team included Rydman, Corbyn Oden (Iowa Park, Texas), Anja Martinez (Topeka, Kan.), Drew Harrison (Longview, Wash.) and Robert Deibert (Aberdeen, Wash.). Despite other commitments, the team excelled, finishing second in Playfly. They faced tough competition in the NECC, with losses to Kansas State University, Wayne State College, Highland Community College and Hutchinson Community College, and secured a win against Montana University. In the Playfly Conference, they dropped only one regular-season match to Alexandria Tech's varsity team. The team defeated Northeastern State in the semifinals but narrowly lost to Alexandria Tech's varsity in the finals.
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros. competed exclusively in the NECC to gain experience before expanding to multiple conferences. The roster consisted of Harrison, Jacob Graber (Washington, Ind.), Gabe Clark (Goshen, Ind.) and Josh Fleming (Raymore, Mo.). The team started the season with losses to the division's top four teams — University of Houston, Texas Tech University, Texas A&M University and University of St. Mary's — but rallied with wins over University of Houston - Downtown, Hutchinson Community College and Highland Community College. They finished just shy of the playoffs but are eager to build on their momentum next season.
Rocket League
The Rocket League team enjoyed a stellar season, mirroring Valorant's success with a divisional championship in the NECC. The roster included Fleming, Deibert, Gary Hunley (Owensboro, Ky.) and Cambry Duerksen (Goessel, Kan.). They went undefeated in the regular season, winning all of their best-of-five matches against opponents like Oklahoma Wesleyan University, University of Montana, Fort Lewis College, and Minot State University.
In the playoffs, they maintained dominance, dropping only one game in a best-of-seven championship series. They defeated Concordia University in the quarterfinals, University of Montana again in the semifinals and Illinois Institute of Technology in the championship.
In the Playfly Conference, they faced strong competition, losing matches to Texas Tech University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Dakota State University while securing victories against Michigan State University, Missouri Science & Technology and Colorado State University. They were eliminated in the playoffs by Frostburg State University, who went on to win the championship.
Fortnite
The Fortnite season was structured differently, split into two "Builds" and "No Builds" custom lobbies over three weekends with points awarded based on placements. The team, represented by Oden, Jack Louis (Saint Francisville, La.) and Angelo Jenkins (Oklahoma City, Okla.), qualified for the championships in both splits, finishing in the top 15 for each. Louis and Oden secured a lobby victory in the final week of the "No Builds" regular season, ensuring their playoff spot. They competed against teams from Grand Canyon University, University of Iowa, University of Akron and more. The team aims to participate in more conferences and tournaments next season.
"I am just really proud of our players all together," said Esports Head Coach Mitch Margaris. "The foundation these players helped lay this season will play a huge factor in the future of this program."
As the fall season concludes, the Larks remain active in preparation for the spring and the national tournament in May to be held in Arlington, Texas. Teams earn points based on their regular season and playoff finishes, with divisional champions automatically qualifying for the national tournament. This means the Rocket League and Valorant teams have already secured their spots. Overwatch and Super Smash Bros. will aim for strong spring finishes to secure their invitations. The spring season begins in late January, giving the Larks a short break before they return to campus, ready to continue making history in their first year as a program.
