Lyon College’s varsity esports team took first place at the Hendrix Smash Tournament in Conway on Nov. 16.

The tournament featured two versus two matches in the game Rocket League, with the winning team scoring best out of three rounds. 

The varsity team of senior Jordan “Jaba” Bright, of Tuckerman, and freshman Eddie “Plasmaburst2” Hunt, of Tulsa, Okla., went on an undefeated streak and captured first place and the trophy. The junior varsity team of junior Odie “Psyra9998” Cauthon, of Russellville, and freshman Wyatt “xXBu1sn3ssXx” Frerichs, of McLoud, Okla., tied for third place.

“I am extremely proud of the teams,” said Coach Austin Lonsert. “They work very hard every single week to improve as players and as teammates.”

“I couldn’t be happier with the students I have gotten to work with in our first year of the program. We look forward to many more first place wins to come! We are going to put in the effort to make sure that happens.”

Lyon College is a private liberal arts college in Arkansas. The oldest college in Arkansas with its original charter, Lyon is located in Batesville, a historic town of 10,000 named by USA Today as the best city to live in the state. Listed among Forbes “Top American colleges,” Lyon currently enrolls almost 700 undergraduate students, and 99 percent of its graduates are employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.