UWs Smith Misses Out on Bull Riding Finals

The season is over for University of Wyoming bull rider Jacob Smith.

With a spot in Saturday’s short go on the line, Smith was bucked off of his bull Wednesday night at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper.

The senior from LaSalle, Colo., had scored 69.5 points on his first bull Sunday but failed to mark on his second Monday, making Wednesday’s ride a must-score to qualify for Saturday’s finals. But he was among the majority of bull riders bucked off, leaving him out of the top 12 bull riders who qualified.

The only UW rodeo team member still alive at the CNFR is barrel racer Kelsey Lensegrav, who makes her third run Thursday. Her first two runs totaled 34.6 seconds after she knocked down a barrel in the first round, making it unlikely she’ll qualify for the short go.

On Tuesday, UW team ropers Justene Hirsig and Denton Shaw ended their season when they recorded a no-time in the third round.