UW Rodeo Teams Prepare for Final Competition at CNFR June 15-21

All season long, the University of Wyoming rodeo teams have had one goal in mind: qualify as many individual competitors as possible for the season finale -- the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR).

The CNFR has arrived with the opening “Bulls, Broncs and Breakaway” competition Sunday, June 15, at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. The event features only bronc and bull riders along with breakaway ropers in two sessions at 1 and 4 p.m.

Throughout the weeklong CNFR, nearly 400 competitors -- representing 13 collegiate regions across the nation -- will vie for the championship round Saturday, June 21. The short go will feature the top 12 competitors in each of the nine men’s and women’s events for a chance to be called a national champion.

The Cowboys and Cowgirls will have 13 total individuals competing throughout the week that features Sunday’s competition, followed by two slack rounds Monday and Tuesday morning beginning at 7 a.m. The first of five straight nightly performances is Tuesday, June 17, at 7 p.m.

“We are proud to qualify this many student-athletes to the CNFR. They all have worked hard to accomplish this goal,” second-year Coach Seth Glause says.

He says UW’s students have been competing since school finished last month, competing at many rodeos across the region.

“This allows them to be in ‘riding’ shape for the CNFR,” Glause adds. “To compete for a national title, we need our students to be focused and ready to win. They all have the ability to compete at a very high level and win in that arena. We need to have some consistency. It’s a long week and lots of opportunities -- we just need to take advantage of all of them.”

Both the Cowboys and Cowgirls enter the CNFR with plenty of momentum after producing strong seasons in the Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR).

The UW men captured the regional title for the seventh consecutive year, winning eight of 10 fall and spring season competitions. Just the top two teams in each region send full clubs to the CNFR; Casper College was the CRMR’s runner-up team.

The Cowgirls, who won five rodeos this past season and were runners-up in four others, finished second to Gillette College during the 10-rodeo schedule.

The top three individuals in all nine men’s and women’s events earn automatic bids to the CNFR. UW will send a strong contingent to college rodeo’s biggest event, with competitors in all but one event: saddle bronc riding. Individually, the men had regional champions in four of six events and the women two of three.

Cowboys who qualified and will be on the six-man points team are:

-- Greybull’s Colton Farrow in bareback riding, an event he led from the opening CRMR rodeo last fall.

-- Bodie Mattson, of Sturgis, S.D., and partner Troupe Coors, from Loveland, Colo., in team roping. The pair were regional champions this past season.

-- Emmit Ross, from Jackson, won the bull riding competition this season.

-- Jacob Wang, of Baker, Mont., who won the regional title in steer wrestling.

-- Rhett Witt, of Valentine, Neb., is the only Cowboy qualifier who will compete in a pair of events: steer wrestling and tie down roping.

Stefan Tonita, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, also qualified for bull riding after finishing among the top three this past season.

The Cowgirl CNFR points team qualifiers are:

-- Riata Day, of Fleming, Colo., in goat tying.

-- Landry Haugen, of Sturgis, S.D., won the CRMR’s breakaway roping title this past season. She also will compete in goat tying.

-- Josie Mousel, from Colman, S.D., is the third Cowgirl goat tying CNFR qualifier.

-- Thermopolis’s Emme Norsworthy enters the CNFR as the top CRMR barrel racer.

The Cowgirls will send two others to the CNFR: Jordyn McNamee, of Buffalo, in breakaway roping and barrel racer Rayne Grant, from Wheatland.

The UW men and women will enter the CNFR with a balanced attack on both sides of the arena.

“Having representatives in all of the events really balances our team out and gives us opportunities to not battle among ourselves for points in each event,” the coach says. “Our competitors will be focused and ready to give a winning effort every time they nod their heads. I am really looking forward to the CNFR and seeing our student-athletes give it their all to win a title in each of their events.”

The Cowboys have not won a national title since 1961, while the Cowgirls have won four CNFR titles in school history, the last coming during the 2008-09 season. Glause says this year’s team has experience entering the last rodeo of the year.

“Our student-athletes have all been working toward their goals this season -- they all had the goal to qualify for the CNFR and compete for a national title,” he says. “We are fortunate that this is a veteran group that has only three first-time qualifiers. They understand what to expect and how to prepare themselves for success in Casper. Having that leadership is beneficial to all of our team, just to help everyone no matter the situation they find themselves in. We just greatly appreciate all of the support we have received all year long. We look forward to seeing everyone in Casper. Go Pokes!”

With multiple CNFR qualifiers among the 13-member qualifiers, the three first-timers are Coors, Mousel and Witt.

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