Within its first year of existence, Hesston College esports has already made its mark on the world of collegiate esports after winning the National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) Division VII Rocket League national championship. The Larks three-man squad composed of Ethan Connelly (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Robert Deibert (Aberdeen, Wash.) and Gary Hunley (Owensboro, Ky.) defeated the University of Mount Union in a thrilling best-of-seven match on Thursday, May 8. The series came down to the final game which the Larks held on to win 1-0.
"It doesn't feel real," said Hunley. "It feels like I'm gonna wake up any moment now and realize it was all a dream."
"It just goes to show what hard work and support from the community can do for a program," said Esports Head Coach Mitchell Margaris. "Not only is it an incredible feat to do it in our first year as a program, but to do it in the fashion that we did was thrilling."
The final game of the series was a defensive masterclass by the Larks. After Deibert scored what would become the game-winning goal less than thirty seconds into the match, the Larks proceeded to hold off Mount Union for four and a half minutes and shut them out in the deciding game.
"We took a one goal lead early and the time just kept ticking down.," said Hunley. "We like to ignore the score and just stay aggressive, but once we hit those last thirty seconds or so we definitely switched to a mindset of just not letting them score."
"It feels great," said Deibert. "In the final moments I was focusing on all of the potential threats and what my role was in dealing with them. In the end, our defense held strong and we won."
The Larks secured a spot in the NECC playoffs by winning the fall championship over Illinois Tech back in December. At that time, the team consisted of Hunley, Deibert and Josh Fleming, a senior from Raymore, Mo. Fleming graduated from Hesston in December shortly after clinching the team's spot in the national tournament, so he was unable to compete. Fleming stuck with the team through the spring to help manage and commentate on their livestream, so he was able to participate in the team's run through the tournament.
"I think the team's success can be attributed to their willingness to adapt," said Margaris. "We started the fall season with Josh Fleming as our third and had to adapt for the spring season after he graduated. Ethan stepped into that role and fit in with the team without a hiccup and they were able to just pick up exactly where they left off. They all bonded together throughout the year and created a level of trust that exceeded even just what they did in the game, but in their daily lives."
Primarily a Valorant player, Connelly joined the Rocket League team this semester far less experienced than his teammates, but with practice and twice-weekly remote team training sessions with Kyle "Six" Urbano, an outside coaching consultant who specializes in Rocket League, he quickly began to contribute to the team's success.
"It's been a truly amazing experience getting to bond with the team," said Connelly. "Gary and Robert have done a great job trusting me as a new player, and that's helped turn us into a more successful team. They have done wonders for me in helping build the player I am now."
Perhaps the most thrilling moment of the championship match came in game 2. The Larks trailed 4-2 with less than ten seconds remaining but a chip in goal from Deibert and a quick goal by Connelly right before time expired sent the Larks and the Mucaws into overtime. In the extra period, the Larks capitalized on their momentum as Deibert set up a perfect pass to Hunley who hammered it into the upper left corner to win it for Hesston.
"Although we already had a one game lead on Mount Union, game 2 of the series was very important for our confidence building during the game," said Connelly. "That showed me more than anything that even if we were down, we could pull it back in a heartbeat."
This was Margaris's second Rocket League national championship as a coach after winning one at his previous institution, Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, Washington, but he says that this one was a much sweeter win.
"At my previous school, it seemed like no one had any idea that we were playing for a national championship," said Margaris. "This year we had the cheering support of probably over 50 people down in the basement with us the whole series. Our players felt not only the support from those who were in attendance, but those who wished them luck throughout the week and those that were live with us on our Twitch channel. The massive difference in publicity, support and care here at Hesston College has been monumental for our players and program.
According to Margaris, the campus wide support for his program was very evident from the beginning.
"When I interviewed for this position, it was very apparent that we were going to have a lot of support from the campus community as a whole and that is what enticed me and my family to move to Kansas and take on this program," said Margaris. "Throughout the year, the students, faculty and staff really made our players feel like they had all the support in the world. It all culminated with the amazing moments that we had during the national championship match hearing the roar of the crowd when we would score, the groans along with us when we would let up a goal, and the pure excitement and chaos that ensued in the celebration after winning game seven. It's honestly a true blessing to be able to have this program here at Hesston and have all the love and support from the surrounding community."
Margaris believes that this is just the beginning for Hesston College esports. Next year, they are hoping to continue to grow their numbers as they settle into their new space in the basement of Erb Hall, which will be renovated into the esports arena over the summer.
"I think it makes us even more hungry," said Margaris. "Every other team that we have in the program has come to me and said they want to get to this point too. Not only are our current players getting even more excited at the idea of competing at this high-level, but we've got recruits that are really starting to knock on the door and realize that Hesston College can be a place where they can continue their educational and esports careers. It makes me very excited for the future of our program.
