UW Men’s Rodeo Team Opens With Third Place at Chadron

It was not the result the University of Wyoming rodeo teams were looking for in the opening weekend of Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) competition.

The Cowboys and Cowgirls had vastly different outcomes at the first regional competition at Chadron State College over the weekend. The UW men placed third to open the 10 fall and spring rodeos, while the Cowgirls, who were third in the nation last season, were shut out.

Casper College, which finished behind UW in the final CRMR men’s standings a year ago, was the first weekend winner, scoring 490 points, while Gillette College and UW were second and third with 380 and 320 points, respectively.

Defending regional champion Gillette College picked up where it left off, winning the Chadron rodeo with 375 points in the women’s competition. Laramie County Community College was second with 220 points, and third went to Eastern Wyoming College at 170.

“I thought our freshmen performed outstanding in their first college rodeo, and I was very happy for them,” UW Coach Seth Glause says. “We split or won three events overall. We are happy about that. However, it did not translate to the team points that we were hoping for. But that’s on me.”

Bodie Mattson, of Sturgis, S.D., placed first in tie down roping, posting the opening round’s top time and following up by splitting first place in the short go.

Newcomer David Gallagher, of Brighton, Colo., made his presence known by placing in a pair of events. He was fifth in steer wrestling and then added sixth-place average points in team roping, combining with younger brother Sam.

The final points among the Cowboys’ six-man points team came from Rio Nutter, of Rapid City, S.D., who did not place in the overall team roping average but did split fifth-place points in the opening round with partner Reece Wadhams, of Laramie County Community College.

Five UW Cowboys -- not selected for the six-man points team at the Chadron competition -- did well.

Colton Farrow, of Shell, split first in bareback riding; Karson Ewing, from Douglas, placed second in steer wrestling; Gillette’s Weston Mills and Coy Johnson, of Gillette College, were the team roping runners-up; Stratton Kohr, from Gillette, did double duty when he placed third in tie down roping and combined with Casper College’s Easton West to place fifth in team roping; and Sam Gallagher was fourth in steer wrestling.

A trio of UW women on the nonpoints team also placed individually in the opening weekend.

Josie Mousel, from Egan, S.D., won the breakaway roping competition; and both Landry Haugen, of Sturgis, S.D., in goat tying, and Olivia Lay, from Elbert, Colo., in breakaway roping, were third in their respective events.

The CRMR competition moves to Riverton this weekend, when Central Wyoming College hosts the next rodeo.