OSU Esports claims Big 12 Championship in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Media Contact: Mack Burke | Associate Director of Media Relations | 405-744-5540 | editor@okstate.edu
As his heart raced and breath quickened, Noah Hightower remained composed, knowing he had spent countless hours grinding for this moment.
This was no ordinary Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament — it was a chance to claim conference supremacy and earn a spot in the prestigious College Esports Commissioners Cup in Arlington, Texas.
“It was a little nerve-racking,” Hightower said. “I’ve played this game for a long time so I shouldn’t be nervous, but with the amount of talented players in the tournament, I knew it was going to be a challenge.”
Hightower was joined by fellow OSU students Grant Adamson, Mason McKnight, Evan Simons and Nolan Voss for the inaugural Big 12 esports tournament. The team, competing in its maiden tournament under the OSU Esports brand, faced off against fellow Big 12 institutions, the University of Colorado, the University of Houston, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, the University of Kansas and co-host Baylor University.
Each matchup consisted of a four-on-four format, in which each player competed against their opponent until their respective 12-live allotment, known in SSBU circles as “stocks,” were exhausted. Once a player is eliminated, it becomes a tag team environment, where the next player joins the game and picks up where their teammate left off. Once all four players on a team are eliminated, the game is over. Matchups throughout the tournament ranged from single-game formats to best-of-three and best-of-five series.
“The format wasn’t anything new for us, as most tournaments tend to have similar setups,” Adamson said. “However, it does require different strategies depending on character matchups and possible team rematches.”
The Cowboys faced few obstacles on their quest, going undefeated and sweeping Houston in the best-of-five grand finals. They earned the Big 12 qualifying spot at CECC, joining teams nationwide to compete for the SSBU top honors.
“I knew we could win it,” Hightower said. “Winning our first one speaks to just how much effort we have put into building each other up because many teams had a few extremely good players, but none really had a consistent stream of powerhouses like we did. Any one of us could just take seven stocks at random against them. Being qualified for CECC is also exciting because it will be much more challenging, but also offline in a format we are much more comfortable in.”
Since its inception in 2018, the OSU esports community has continued to level up. The additions of the nearly 2,000-square-foot OSU Esports Arena in the Student Union, the OSU Esports competitive team and the Gaming Leadership certificate program demonstrate the commitment and dedication to developing OSU esports, culminating in this first conference title.
The team hopes this win will serve as a springboard for OSU esports to compete at CECC next year in more games, as the national tournament, dubbed May Madness, hosts more than 320 teams, 185 schools and 1,500 of the nation’s best esports competitors who vie for the championship in Overwatch 2, Rocket League, Valorant, Street Fighter 6 and, of course, SSBU.
“Winning the Big 12 tournament qualifier was a huge moment for our program,” said Shaun Noll, OSU meeting and conference services manager and esports advisor. “Qualifying for the CECC in May felt like the result of all the hard work we’ve put in, and it’s a clear sign that we’re ready to take on the next challenge at the highest level. I am extremely proud of the team and cannot wait to share this experience with them.”
Editor’s note: The OSU esports team would make it to the third round of the CECC national tournament.
Photos by: Ellie Piper
Story by: Jeff Hopper | STATE Magazine