UW Cowgirls Finish in CNFR’s Top 10

The University of Wyoming women’s rodeo team concluded the weeklong College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) Saturday night finishing among the nation’s top programs.

The Cowgirls amassed 210 points during four rounds of competition at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, good for eighth place among teams from 11 regions across the nation. About 400 student-athletes competed in college rodeo’s biggest event this year. Southwest Texas College won the women’s title with 445 points, while Tarleton State University and Gillette College were second and third with 435 and 425 points, respectively.

With just one team member reaching the short go, the Cowboys ended the CNFR in 34th place with 110 points. Tarleton State University repeated as national men’s champion with 817.5 points, and Missouri Valley College was the runner-up with 567.5 points. The University of Montana Western was third at 550.

Four UW team members reached Saturday’s short go after finishing among the top 12 in their respective events. However, a missed rope toss, an uncooperative steer and a goat that did not stay down led to a rough championship round for three of the UW team members.

The only person who found success was Landry Haugen in goat tying. As one of two Cowgirls in the same event, the Sturgis, S.D., Cowgirl entered the short go in 11th place and improved three positions to end the season eighth in the average.

She made a clean run, stopping the clock in 6.6 seconds, the short go’s fifth-best time. She was 27.3 in the aggregate, with Tarleton State University’s Tori Brower winning the national title with a 24.5-second overall time on four.

For three of her UW teammates, things did not go in their favor:

-- Josie Mousel, who had the entire week’s top time in goat tying at 5.7 seconds in the second go round, was on her way to a good time after a clean run, dismount and tie of the goat’s three legs. However, her goat kicked out of its tie and did not stay on the ground for the required 6 seconds. She finished 11th in the aggregate.

Mousel, who entered the short go in the No. 7 position, finished her sophomore season with three qualified times of 20.1 seconds in the aggregate.

-- UW’s Jacob Wang never had a chance to bulldog his steer. Once the Baker, Mont., Cowboy nodded his head to signal he was ready for this steer wrestling attempt, things quickly went south. The steer came out of the chute, took a couple of steps and abruptly stopped dead in its tracks before even making a meaningful run out into the arena. The 6-foot-7 Cowboy quickly attempted to catch the steer’s horns, but his momentum took him over the steer’s head. A no-time put him 11th in the final standings.

The UW junior had entered the bulldogging short go as the competitor with the third-best time in the aggregate at 17.1 seconds through three rounds. He contributed to the Cowboys’ team score by winning the second go in 4.2 seconds.

-- For Jordyn McNamee, from Buffalo, her hopes of scoring in the short go ended right under 3 seconds. The rope slipped off the calf’s head in breakaway roping, resulting in a no-time and placing her 10th in the overall aggregate. The UW Cowgirl entered the final round sitting in the No. 6 spot to end her UW career.