UW Rodeo Teams Third and Fourth at Sheridan College

The University of Wyoming men’s rodeo team placed third at the latest Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) rodeo at Sheridan College last weekend, while the UW women were fourth.

With just two rodeos left on the fall schedule, both UW team teams will be scrambling to move up in the standings before the spring season begins next March at Gillette College. Just the top two CRMR teams receive automatic bids to next summer’s College National Finals Rodeo in Casper.

Regional leaders Gillette College swept both the men’s and women’s competitions at Sheridan over the weekend. On the men’s side, the Pronghorns tallied 440 points to top runner-up Casper College’s 385 points, while the UW Cowboys were next at 295.

The win extended Gillette’s overall regional lead to over 1,000 points over Casper College. The Pronghorns now have 1,380 points, 1,005 points ahead of the T-Birds, while the Cowboys remain in third place with 1,010.

The Cowgirls slipped one spot to fourth through three weekends of competitions with 550 points, but it is a three-way race for second place in the standings. Laramie County Community College (LCCC) has 600 points to lead third-place Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) by just 25 points and 50 ahead of the Cowgirls. Gillette College heads the women’s division with 895 points.

The Pronghorns and EWC split the top spot over the weekend with 295 points apiece, followed by LCCC at 250 points and the Cowgirls’ 205.

At Sheridan College, the UW men received points from just two members of the six-man points team.

Cam Jensen, of Bingham, Neb., scored 210 of the team’s 295 total, placing in a pair of events. He and partner Tanner Wetham, of Chadron State College, combined for second in the team roping average.

Jensen turned over his steer in the fastest time in the opening round of bulldogging and was sixth in the short go to give him sixth in the average.

In his first appearance on the points team this season, Greybull’s Colton Farrow, who is third in the regional bareback riding standings, came through to finish third in the average at Sheridan College.

Two UW Cowboys not on the weekend points team at Sheridan came through in their respective events. Emmit Ross, of Jackson, placed second in bull riding, which moved him into first place in the CRMR standings; and Saratoga’s Kaden Berger was the steer wrestling runner-up.

The Cowgirls also only had a pair of competitors on the four-member points team place during the weekend rodeo.

Landry Haugen, of Sturgis, S.D., won the women’s breakaway roping competition despite not being among the top six in the opening round, but she had the short go’s top time that boosted her to the win in the average. She also added points in barrel racing, placing fourth in the average to wind up as the all-around reserve champion.

The final points came from Josie Mousel, of Egan, S.D., who was sixth in the goat tying average.

Three other UW Cowgirls also placed in the Sheridan rodeo but were not selected for the weekend points team.

Kenna McNeill, of Hobbs, N.M., was the all-around winner by placing high in a pair of events. She was fourth in the barrel racing average and split second place in the goat tying competition. Hadley Furnival, of Casper, split first place in barrel racing, and Buffalo’s Jordyn McNamee split sixth place in the breakaway roping average.

“I am proud of our student-athletes. Any time we can win an individual event, it’s an accomplishment,” UW head Coach Seth Glause says. “I am happy for Kenna and Landry to win first and second in the women’s all-around; they competed at a high level last weekend. The hard work during the week is paying off at the rodeos.”

LCCC hosts the next CRMR rodeo this weekend in Cheyenne.