UW Rodeo Teams Finish Fall Season as Regional Leaders

Both of the University of Wyoming rodeo teams have positioned themselves to repeat as Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) champions heading into the second half of the 2026-27 season next spring.

The Cowboys and Cowgirls swept team titles at the concluding fall rodeo hosted by Laramie County Community College (LCCC) in Cheyenne last weekend.

That sets up both clubs nicely when the second half of the season picks up next March at the Gillette College rodeo. The UW men’s team is seeking its ninth consecutive CRMR title, while the Cowgirls will attempt back-to-back regional championships after previously finishing as runners-up the previous three seasons.

Going into the spring portion of the current schedule, the Cowboys have widened their overall lead over Gillette College by nearly 1,000 points. UW has 3,100 points, while the Pronghorns have netted 2,140 after the five fall competitions. Sheridan College is third at 1,615.

The Cowgirls used the weekend win to also open an advantage over Gillette College. The UW women have racked up 2,332.83 points, while the Pronghorns have totaled 2,001.13. A distant third is LCCC with 500 team points.

“I was proud of how the teams finished the fall season. It was great to finish with two team wins and four individual titles,” UW Coach Seth Glause says. “We are thankful for all the support we’ve had this season, and we look to continue to work hard heading into the spring season so that we are ready to compete at the highest level.”

The Cowboys won for the fourth straight weekend, taking the LCCC-hosted Shawn Dubie Memorial rodeo team title with 685 points. Second was Gillette College with 345 points, and Sheridan College had 270 for third.

Inserted on the points team for the first time, UW’s Colby Runner scored in three separate events to win the all-around title in Cheyenne. The Wellington, Colo., senior was the runner-up in the steer wrestling average, finished third in tie-down roping and then scored first-round points with UW teammate Tate Talkington in team roping, although the pair did not place among the top six in the average. Runner’s triple duty earned him 225 individual points.

Talkington, of Scottsbluff, Neb., added 170 total points in team roping and tie-down roping, winning the latter event on the strength of the opening round’s top time. In all, the Cowboys swept the top three places in tie-down roping. Finishing behind Talkington was teammate Carter Hutchison, of Rozet, who was the event’s runner-up. The three UW competitors combined to score 335 points in calf roping for the team.

Also scoring for the Pokes were Sam Gallagher, of Brighton, Colo., who was fourth in team roping with header Talon Larson, from Gillette College; and Traven Sharon, of Ordway, Colo, who took fifth in saddle bronc riding.

“This past weekend, we put Colby Runner on the team, and he stepped up in a big way, making the short round in three events and producing average points in two,” Glause says. “The tie-down roping was a major push for us getting the top three spots in that event.”

A pair of UW men’s team members placed in two separate events. Laramie’s Trenton Rogers was the bareback riding runner-up, and Cannon Campbell, from Shoshoni, was fifth in steer wrestling.

After placing second the past two rodeos, the Cowgirls rebounded to win at LCCC with 470 points to give the UW women three first places during the fall season. The Pronghorns were second at Cheyenne with 312 points, and Colorado State University scored 200 for third place.

A pair of Cowgirls led the team, picking up individual wins in two of the three women’s events.

Gillette freshman Shayda Lesmeister continued her torrid barrel racing streak, winning the event by posting a trifecta, winning both the long- and short-go rounds and the average. Teammate Layni Stevens, of St. Lawrence, S.D., nearly completed the sweep in goat tying. The graduate student won the opening round and had the second-best time in the short go that gave her the win in the average.

Teammates Kassidy Dunagan, of Whitehall, Mont., and Landry Haugen, from Sturgis, S.D., were among four competitors who split fourth place in goat tying.

“It was another solid performance by the ladies, with all four athletes getting points,” Glause says.

Two other Cowgirls also placed over the weekend. Gillette’s RaeLee Caldwell was the third UW goat tyer to split fourth place; and teammate Makenna Baker, from Chico, Calif., was sixth in the barrel racing average.