UW Cowboys Take First Rodeo of Fall Season

It took until the fourth rodeo of the fall season for the University of Wyoming men to get back to where they have been the past five seasons -- on top.

The Cowboys broke through for the first time this fall in winning the Shawn Dubie Memorial Rodeo, hosted by Laramie County Community College (LCCC) in Cheyenne, last weekend. The men scored a season-best 665 points to put themselves firmly in contention for their sixth straight Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) team title.

UW’s men are now within striking distance of the two season-long leaders -- Casper College and Gillette College -- heading into the final fall rodeo this weekend at Lamar (Colo.) Community College. The Cowboys are just 125 points behind the T-Birds and only 55 behind the Pronghorns, respectively. Only the top two CRMR teams in both the men’s and women’s divisions earn automatic bids to next summer’s College National Finals Rodeo.

The UW women moved into second place in the regional standings, ending up as the runners-up at LCCC behind season-long leader Gillette College. The Pronghorns lead the overall pack with 1,330 points after four rodeos, while the Cowgirls have 847 points, surpassing Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) by a slim 6.5 points.

“Our students had a great weekend, with both teams performing great. Overall, we were represented 25 times in the short round,” says UW Coach Seth Glause. “We have a lot of positives to take out of this rodeo to build on. We look to finish strong in Lamar to round out our fall season.”

Senior Cam Jensen, of Bingham, Neb., who won the all-around, powered the Cowboys at LCCC. Jensen had a strong showing in steer wrestling when he split first place in the average; and he also split first place in the opening round of tie down roping, was second in the short go and was the runner-up in the overall average. He and partner Tanner Whetham, of Chadron State College, posted the best long go time in team roping but could not match it in the short go. In all, Jensen accounted for 325 of the team’s 665 points.

The Cowboys also received solid production from four other members of the six-man points team:

-- Bodie Mattson, of Sturgis, S.D., and UW teammate Troupe Coors, of Loveland, Colo., put together two consistent rounds to finish as the team roping runners-up.

-- A third UW roping team member, Rio Nutter, of Rapid City, S.D., combined with heeler Reece Wadhams, of LCCC, to place third in the average. Both Nutter and Mattson scored 140 team points apiece for the Cowboys in the event. Nutter also was fifth in the steer wrestling average.

-- The final team points were secured by Greybull’s Colton Farrow in bareback riding when he won the short go round.

Finishing behind the Cowboys in the team standings at LCCC were Casper College and the host Golden Eagles with 525 and 445 points, respectively.

Two UW men not on the weekend points team also had good showings over the weekend.

Jackson’s Emmit Ross continued his bull riding hot streak, finishing second in the average, and teammate Stefan Tonita, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, was fourth in the same event; and Beau Scarborough, of Pine Bluffs, was sixth in the saddle bronc riding average.

The Cowgirls scored 300 points at LCCC to place second to Gillette College’s 435 points, while EWC was third at 265.

Placing for the Cowgirls’ points team were:

-- Kenna McNeill, of Hobbs, N.M., was steady in two rounds of barrel racing competition to place second in the average.

-- Riata Day, from Fleming, Colo., was consistent through two rounds of goat tying and wound up third in the average.

-- The team’s final points came from Landry Haugen, of Sturgis, S.D., who was sixth in the goat tying average and recorded the sixth-best time in barrel racing’s short go.

Several UW Cowgirls not on the points team also placed in the weekend LCCC rodeo.

Hailey Hardeman, of Jackson, won the women’s breakaway roping event, thanks to the short go round’s best time; Gillette’s Halle Hladky won the barrel racing’s short go to place third in the average, and splitting sixth in the same event was Makenzi Scott, of Rock Springs; Olivia Lay, of Elbert, Colo., and Clay Helm, of Casper College, were fifth in team roping and, in the same event, Casper’s Hadley Furnival combined with Jace Crozier, of Casper College, to place sixth in the average; and Delaney Borneman, of Pleasanton, Calif., was fifth in breakaway roping.