UW Men Second at Chadron State Rodeo

September 23, 2013

The University of Wyoming men’s rodeo team rebounded from a tough opening weekend to split second place at the Chadron State College rodeo in Crawford, Neb.

The Pokes rode the combined 260 points from tie down ropers Clayton Van Aken and Wyatt Clark to post 415 points and place second overall with Laramie County Community College. Casper College took the weekend rodeo with 485 points to move into first place in the overall Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) standings.

With its improved showing, UW climbed into fourth place in the CRMR with three fall rodeos remaining on the schedule. Casper College leads the pack with 1,180 points, while Gillette College is just 45 points back. The Cowboys have 660 team points after two fall rodeos.

Van Aken, a Descanso, Calif., senior, won the opening tie down roping round, then had the short go round’s second fastest time to take the overall average. Clark, a senior from Wellfleet, Neb., was fourth in the average after recording the second fastest time to Van Aken in the opening round.

After two weeks of action, Van Aken has claimed the top spot in the overall tie down regional standings.

Clark scored an additional 35 points for the Cowboys when he split fourth-place points in the opening round of the bareback riding competition. He marked in the short go round, but it wasn’t enough to place him in the overall average. Only the top six in the average score team points.

Senior Kade Merritt from Eaton, Colo., combined with younger brother Reed to score 110 points in team roping for the UW men. They placed fourth in the average. Van Aken added additional team points with roping partner Kyon Kreutzer from Northeastern Junior College. They did not place in the overall average.

The UW women continued to look for the right combination to secure points. The Cowgirls managed just 10 team points at Chadron State last weekend to place 11th overall.

The Eastern Wyoming College women took the team title with 410 points, followed by Gillette College’s 230. The Lady Lancers took over the CRMR team lead with 540 points, while the Lady Pronghorns slipped to the runner-up slot, 50 points back. The Cowgirls sit seventh with just 90 points after two rounds of competition.

No UW Cowgirls placed in the average in their respective events. Sophomore Chandler Markel scored five points in barrel racing, while teammate Amelia Anderson, a freshman from Forsyth, Mont., added five more points in goat tying.

Sheridan College hosts this week’s regional rodeo.

For a complete list of team points and individual results from the Chadron State College rodeo, click here.

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