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UW's Wyatt Clark Finishes Fifth In CNFR Bareback Riding

June 23, 2014
Wyatt Clark and Brit Ellerman

Standing right behind the bucking chutes, University of Wyoming bareback rider Wyatt Clark watched higher-seeded cowboys fall one by one. And with just four riders left in the championship round, the UW senior was the leader in the event.

But those final four riders among the top 12 in the nation had too much of an early point total that Clark couldn't overcome. The Wellfleet, Neb., spring graduate placed fifth in the average at the College Finals Rodeo Saturday night at the Casper Events Center.

Clark entered the championship round in the No. 11 position and was the second rider up. He rode "Rooster" to the fourth-best ride in the short go with 77.5 points. Over the next five rides, two of the riders didn't make the whistle, and the other three didn't score enough points to surpass Clark.

"I came in today knowing that I was starting way down there, but I let it all hang loose out there. I laid back, let my feet fly, and they rewarded me for it," he said right after the completion of the event.

The only other UW Cowboy to reach the finals Saturday night, Brit Ellerman, did not fare as well. He and partner Seth Andersen of Gillette College had a no time in team roping.

With just two of the four UW team members scoring throughout the entire CNFR run, the Cowboys tied for 22nd place with Northwest College of Powell with 130 points. The University of Tennessee-Martin won the men’s team title with 455 points.

No UW women qualified for this year’s CNFR. Central Arizona College won the women’s title with 347 points.

After his ride that got the home state cheering wildly, Clark said, "I got back up there on the chutes and just watched in awe. I was hanging in there, hanging in there. Then, the good riders came up with the outstanding matchups, and they knocked me off there."

He added that he knows that he had a good ride himself, and for about 10 minutes he was the national leader.

"I know I can ride just as good as them. Put me up on the stage again with them, and I can give them a run for their money," he said. "You always want to go for number one, but I'm happy I made it back today. I rode good, and I'm healthy."

Clark had three solid rounds during the week leading up to the finals. He recorded identical 73.5 rides in the first two rounds, and closed out with two straight 77.5 rides to finish with 301.5 points in the average. Defending national champion Orin Larsen of Panhandle State University repeated, with 315.5 points on four.

"Tonight was my last ride for (Coach) George Howard, and it was an honor to represent the University of Wyoming," he said. "And now, it's time to move on."

Ellerman and Andersen, who came into the short round seeded ninth, had their championship aspirations cut short in a hurry. Ellerman, the header, immediately got his rope off, but caught just the right horn. The loop slipped off completely, leaving the pair with a no time.

They previously had a three-round time of 27.2 seconds. Ellerman, a Fort Lupton, Colo., junior, will be back next season for the Cowboys.

Like Clark, Ellerman was making his first CNFR appearance.

 

Contact Us

Institutional Communications

Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137

Laramie

Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: (307) 766-2929

Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu

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