Season Comes to an End for UW’s Day in CNFR Goat Tying Competition

Once Riata Day had to restart her tie, she knew that her chances of reaching the College National Finals Rodeo’s goat tying short go Saturday were slipping away.

The look on her face said it all when she stood up after tying her goat in 10.5 seconds, ending her UW career in the worst way. Her aggregate time took a serious dent when she finished with a three-run time of 22.9 seconds, throwing her out of the top 12 in the competition, dropping her to 17th in the average.

The only other UW team member competing Thursday evening was Rayne Grant, who finished her third barrel racing run. The Wheatland Cowgirl stopped the clock in her best time of the week at 14.35 seconds. She ended her season with a three-run time of 53.08 seconds.

With one section left of goat tyers left, Day will miss her opportunity of moving on. She entered Thursday night as the national runner-up after two rounds, recording a pair of 6.2-second times on a pair of runs. All she needed on her third was another low 6-second time or better to place her among the short go favorites.

As was the case in her two previous ties, things were looking good Thursday, but once she got the goat down, something happened where she stopped and had to restart her tie. At that point, she knew it was not good.

Two of her UW teammates are still in the running for a goat tying short go bid with just the final section remaining: Josie Mousel, of Colman, S.D., and Landry Haugen, from Sturgis, S.D.

The top 12 times and marks in each event earn competitors an automatic bid to the short go.

Mousel recorded the fastest time of the entire rodeo Wednesday night in a blazing 5.7 seconds, putting her fourth in the average. Haugen is sitting seventh in the average going into the final section Friday. Madalyn Richards, from Texas A&M University, leads the competition at 18.9 seconds.

Two more UW Cowgirls wrap up the week in the same event to end three rounds this week: Jordayn McNamee, of Buffalo, who remains in contention to reach the breakaway roping short go; and Haugen, who has been eliminated from finals contention but can still add team points with a good final run.

As for the Cowboys, Jacob Wang, from Baker, Mont., may be the only member of the team earning a short go bid. He is the national steer wrestling runner-up going into the final night. His 17.1-second time on three head trails Will Collier, of Northwest Mississippi Community College, who has posted a leading 14.4 seconds.

Greybull’s Colton Farrow is clinging to the 12th and final bareback riding spot, and he has to wait for the last section Friday for a shot at gaining a short go bid.

The Cowgirls are splitting fifth place in the national standings, tying with Cal Poly State University-San Luis Obispo with 115 points apiece. Gillette College, which won the Central Rocky Mountain Region team title over UW this past season, is the national leader with 170 points. Tarleton State University is second with 165.

The UW Cowboys are 19th in the men’s team standings with 110 points, with defending champion Tarleton State running away with the competition with 395 points.