UW Mens Rodeo Team Sets Record in Dominating Performance to Take Regional Lead

Not only did the University of Wyoming men’s team shatter the school record for most points scored in a single rodeo, but the output also may be a Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) record.

The Cowboys piled up a record-setting 855 points at the Central Wyoming College (CWC) rodeo last weekend in Riverton. The production shattered the previous school record of 770 points set in September 2011.

Making the team’s run to a new mark even more mind-boggling is that the Pokes scored all of their points in just timed events -- no roughstock competitor for the UW men got on the scoreboard in the third fall rodeo of the CRMR season.

The host Rustlers of CWC were second in their own home rodeo, trailing UW with a distant 390 points.

“We did this without roughstock riders,” first-year UW rodeo Coach Beau Clark says. “It’s never been done before in the region, I was told.”

He also adds that some of the region’s coaches indicated that UW’s total points are probably a CRMR record.

“The region is just so competitive, and to score this many points, any coach would be tickled to score 400 points each weekend,” Clark says. “I just hope that things keep going our way and that we finish the fall season strong.”

What the team accomplished last weekend eclipses what the Cowboys did in the first two weeks of the fall season combined. The Pokes won the opening rodeo, and they had an average second weekend to give the team 820 points and a second-place mark in the overall CRMR standings.

In just one weekend, the UW men more than doubled their seasonlong point production with the record-setting performance. After three weeks of action, the Cowboys now have 1,675 points and a firm hold of first place in the region.

The UW men have opened up a nearly 500-point lead against both CWC and two-time regional champion Sheridan College. Both teams have 1,180 points through three rodeos with just two events left on the fall schedule.

UW has dominated team roping the first two weeks of the season, with senior Denton Shaw, of Lusk, and partner Cooper White, of Gillette College, winning the event in consecutive weekends.

But, this time around, it was the team of JC Flake, of Mesa, Ariz., and Caden Camp, of Belgrade, Mont., leading the way, scoring a trifecta, winning the first and short go rounds, giving the UW partners the win in the average. The pair scored 360 points for the Cowboys.

Shaw wound up sixth in the average with White.

Another UW team member also won both rounds of his event, while winning the average. Jase Staudt, of Nathrop, Colo., won both rounds of tie down roping to win the calf roping average for another additional perfect score of 180 points for the Cowboys.

The Pokes also earned major points in steer wrestling with teammates Seth Peterson and Ty Everson going 1-2 in the competition. Peterson, from Minot, N.D., won the opening round, split second in the short go, but still won the average. Everson, from Helena, Mont., had the opening round’s second-best time behind Peterson and was fourth in the short go, but finished as the event’s runner-up in the average.

Clark says he could see a difference on how the team practiced from week two to week three, which gave the club a new outlook.

“They just regrouped in practice and took that attitude of just going out there and doing the job,” Clark says. “They were so much more relaxed last week, and I could just see how much more confident they were. It was exciting to see, and they had an awesome rodeo.”

As much as the Cowboys were dominating last weekend, the UW women were just the opposite and struggled to crack the 100-point mark. Just one team member scored points for the Cowgirls.

Reigning breakaway roper Teisha Coffield, of Yuma, Colo., was fourth in her specialty event to score all 100 team points.

“The women’s side of the region is proving to be pretty tough, and our women really struggled last weekend,” Clark says.

Despite a down weekend, the Cowgirls still lead the region with 785 points, holding an 85-point advantage over Casper College. Gillette College won the CWC rodeo with 375 points, and the Casper College women were second with 340 points. The UW women were sixth.

Eastern Wyoming College climbed to third in the region with 668.33 points.

UW’s rodeo teams hit the road this weekend to Lamar, Colo., for the Lamar Community College rodeo. The fall season wraps up the following weekend for the annual Shane Dubie Memorial rodeo, hosted by Laramie County Community College.