The University of Wyoming women's team is just two rodeos away from having a perfect Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) season.
The Cowgirls on Sunday won their eighth straight team title this season, adding Casper College's Ropin' and Riggin Days rodeo to their collection. In fact, the UW women have now taken 16 of the past 17 rodeos during a two-year span.
Quite a run for the nation's number one women's team.
The Cowgirls entire four-woman roster scored while tallying 565 points to once again lap the rest of the field. Nearly 300 points back was Central Wyoming College (CWC) with 275 and Sheridan College (SC) scored 250 points.
With the latest victory, the Cowgirls have now broken the 5,000-point barrier for the season with 5,005 with just two spring rodeos remaining, including the 60th annual home Laramie River Rendezvous Rodeo May 1-3. A distant second in the CRMR standings is Gillette College with 1,765 points.
Only the top two regional teams receive automatic berths to the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) this June at the Casper Events Center.
Just like her Cowgirl teammates, Nikki Steffes remained perfect in the all-around competition, also winning for the eighth straight time.
The Vale, S.D., molecular biology senior defeated teammate TaNaye Carroll in the goat tying competition by just one-tenth of a second, posting a 16.6 time compared to the La Junta, Colo., kinesiology senior's time of 16.7. UW teammate Sarah Mulholland, nursing senior from Richland Center, Wis., split third place in the goat tying average with two others to help the Cowgirls score a whopping 370 points in the event.
Kacy Hatten, an agricultural communications sophomore from Wheatland, joined the four-member UW women's team last week and has quickly produced. After winning the breakaway roping title a week ago, Hatten won the Casper College competition with an overall time of 6.4 to add another 125 points to the Cowgirls' total.
Mulholland won the opening breakaway roping round, but had a no time in the short go. She scored 60 points for the team and wound up second in the all-around competition to Steffes.
Steffes also added a handful of points in barrel racing, making the short go, but did not place in the average.
The UW men remained a lock to secure a CNFR bid with a strong Ropin' and Riggin' Days showing Sunday.
The Cowboys placed third with 435 points, finishing behind first-place CWC, which had 480 points. Eastern Wyoming College was 15 points back. For the season, the CWC Rustlers lead the CRMR with 3,860 points while UW is in second place with 3,545 points, an 815-point margin over third-place Casper College.
The Cowboys did their scoring in team roping when a pair of teammates placed high in the average. Cody finance senior Tyler Viles combined with partner Jared Bilby of EWC to win the team roping event in a two-round time of 13.7 seconds. UW header Chad Nelson, agricultural business senior from Buffalo, S.D., and partner Beau Miller of Gillette College placed third in the team roping average with a 26.4 effort.
The Cowboys also scored in three other events. Jason Hubbard, an agriculture senior from Wheatland, was sixth in the tie down roping average; Gillette animal science sophomore Merritt Smith placed sixth in saddle bronc riding; and Bucky Dickson, kinesiology sophomore from Sequim, Wash., scored opening-round points in bareback riding, but did not place in the average.
CRMR teams this week head to Sterling, Colo., for the Northeastern Junior College rodeo.
Listed are team scores from the Casper College rodeo and also the top six individuals in the average:
Women's team scores -- University of Wyoming (UW) 565; Central Wyoming College (CWC) 275; Sheridan College (SC) 250; Gillette College (GC) 210; Colorado State University (CSU) 150; Casper College (CC) 80; Chadron State College (CSC) 55; Northeastern Junior College (NJC) 40.
Barrel racing -- Chelsea Moore, CWC, 15.73; Baileee Novotny, SC, 15.85; Alysia Chapman, CSU, 15.96; Michelle Robinson, GC, 15.93; Jessi Cates, GC, 16.12; Britta O'Keeffe, UW, 16.09.
Breakaway roping -- Kacy Hatten, UW, 6.4; Anna Haaland, GC, 6.5; Jessica Picchietti, CWC and Tess Haugen, SC, 7; Lisa Vroman, CSC, 15.8; Staci Miller, CC, 16.6.
Goat tying -- Nicki Steffes, UW, 16.6; TaNaye Carroll, UW, 16.7; Chyann Howard, UW, Lacey Tech, CWC and Sarah Mulholland, UW, all 17.3; Layne Wiebe, UW, 17.5.
Men's team scores -- CWC 480; Eastern Wyoming College 465; UW 435; GC 365; NJC 355; Lamar Community College (LCC) and CC 300; CSC 180; Laramie County Community College (LCCC) 140; SC 100; CSU 60.
Saddle bronc riding -- Travis Darling, CC, 144; J.W. Moore, CC, 138; Blaze Hamaker, CWC, 129; Colt Hamaker, CWC, 122; Chancy Miller, GC, 121.
Bareback riding -- Whitten Hoover, CSC, 146; Cheyenne Seymour, GC, 144; Ty Breuer, CWC, 144; Bryan Jones, CWC, 143; Jed Wilson, CC, 136; Tucker Bringle, GC, 128.
Bull riding -- Justin Thomas, LCCC, 79; Casey Cash, GC, 78; Tyrel Schroth, SC, 74; Clay Culbreath, CSU, 72; Jeff Stull, CC, 56; Whitten Hoover, CSC, 53, all one one.
Tie down roping -- Kyle Broce, NJC, 22.1; Brice Ingo, LCC, 23.0; Riley Warren, CWC, 24.5; Riley Milward, UW, 25.4; Miles Duffy, GC, 27.2; Jason Hubbard, UW, 27.6.
Steer wrestling -- Jake Kraupie, EWC, 10.1; Kyle Broce, NJC, 10.3; Cameron Trimber, UW, 11.1; Tyrel Larson, CC, 11.9; Logan McDonald, EWC, 17.6; Matt Hollan, LCCC, 20.
Team roping -- Tyler Viles, UW/Jared Bilby, EWC, 13.7; Ridge Evans/Brady Graff, EWC, 19.9; Chad Nelson, UW/Beau Miller, GC, 26.4; Katie Felix/Jake Hamilton, CC, 41.5.
Posted on Monday, April 20, 2009