By Maria Fernanda Alvarez Angeles, September 22, 2026
The room grew loud as the final two players faced off, with spectators turning their attention toward the screens. Computer science students Nicholas Barkero and Chibuike Iwuanyanwu advanced through earlier rounds and were now competing in the tournament championship. As the match came down to its concluding moments, Iwuanyanwu muttered, “Is this it?”
The Super Smash Bros. tournament was held Sept. 10 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Cal Poly Pomona’s Bronco Student Center in the Lyra room, bringing students together for an evening of competition, gaming and conversation.
Katrina Miller, one of the two competitive sports leads at Bronco Recreation and Intramural Complex, helped organize the tournament alongside civil engineering student DeShawn Liwanag. Miller handled registration while Liwanag organized the competition and guided players through the tournament.
About 42 people registered for the event and more than 20 students competed, contributing to what Miller described as a historic turnout.
“We’ve had a huge uptake and interest in esports recently and obviously there’s some passion for the game,” Miller said. “We just had a lot of students come and ask for it, so we’re here to meet those needs.”
During the early matches, students took time to warm up, get familiar with one another and discuss characters and plays. As the tournament progressed, spectators moved around the room between competitive matches, made predictions on who would winand supported the players, reacting to plays with “oohs” and “aahs,” fist bumps and claps.
For some students, the tournament provided an opportunity to meet others who shared interest in the game. Noah Schnitzel, a mechanical engineering student and spectator, said his favorite part was finding community.
“The most exciting part of this tournament has been meeting a lot of other people and also getting to invite them to other tournaments that are run every Friday,” Schnitzel said.
Players brought their own play styles and experiences to the competition through the characters they chose. Marvin Industan, an electrical engineering student, favored Link and described his aerial attacks as satisfying to land and said the character was well-rounded. Computer science student Anthony Rodriguez chose Inkling because of experience playing Splatoon, while mathematics student Gabriel Dotson said he learned to play Donkey Kong or King K. Rool after an experienced friend taught him how to play.
Iwuanyanwu played as King K. Rool, while Barkero played as Jigglypuff. Spectators gathered as Iwuanyanwu finished off the battle and took the victory.
Iwuanyanwu said he did not have a specific technique going into the tournament but instead observed his opponent’s attacks and plays. Iwuanyanwu said his biggest takeaway from this tournament was the vibrant atmosphere and the essence of having fun with people who love what you love.
“Seeing people interact with each other was such a vibrant thing,” Iwuanyanwu said. “All these side conversations, a lot of people having fun, that’s really the essence of everything.”
As the battle concluded, both players fist-bumped and smiled. While the tournament gave students a chance to compete, Miller said she also hoped the event was an outlet and resource that would help students find a community outside of traditional sports.