UW Rodeo Teams Close Fall Season with Second

This was the type of performance University of Wyoming Rodeo Coach George Howard was looking for from his women’s and men’s teams. Unfortunately, it came during the final rodeo of the fall season.

Both UW teams ended the five-rodeo fall schedule on good terms, taking second place in their respective divisions at the annual Shawn Dubie Memorial Rodeo, hosted by Laramie County Community College (LCCC) in Cheyenne last weekend.

The fall finale left the Cowgirls firmly entrenched in second place in the overall Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) standings, while the Cowboys’ runner-up position at LCCC moved the Pokes up one spot in the team chase in fifth place heading into the spring portion of the 2016-17 slate.

The top two schools send full teams to next summer’s College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) at the Casper Events Center.

Led by new CRMR goat tying overall leader Cori Terry, the Cowgirls turned in their fourth straight strong performance of the season at LCCC. The McKinnon freshman won the short go and the overall average to score 160 points in the event to push her to the top of the regional standings. She also had the third fastest time in the weekend’s opening round.

Her points moved the Cowgirls’ overall production to 250 points, trailing leader Gillette College, which ran away with the LCCC team title with 475 points. The defending CRMR champion has piled up 1,673.7 team points during the five-rodeo fall season. The Cowgirls are solidly in second place behind the Pronghorns with a total of 1,113.7 points. Sheridan College is a distant third in the overall team chase with 749 points, Casper College has 630, and Chadron State College rounds out the top five with 586.7 points.

Terry took over the regional goat tying lead after scoring in all fall rodeos. She has accumulated 531 individual points, opening a 36-point lead over runner-up Rickie Engessar, of Gillette. Terry’s teammate Amelia Anderson is sitting fourth in the overall standings with 253.7 points.

The Forsythe, Mont., senior added points in breakaway roping during a five-way tie for the second best time at the LCCC rodeo. She didn’t place in the short go or the average.

Kailee Webb, who is still recovering from a damaged knee suffered during last summer’s CNFR, was well on her way to winning last week’s barrel racing title after taking the long go. However, a tipped barrel in the short go cost her in the overall average. The Isabel, S.D., junior is fourth in the regional standings with 250 points, trailing leader Lake Mehalic of Colorado State University, who has 450 points.

Webb is the defending CRMR champion in the event.

The Cowboys put up points in four of the six men’s events last weekend.

Wyatt Hageman had the best finish among his Pokes teammates, placing second in the saddle bronc riding competition. The Jay Em junior took the opening round and had the second best mark in the short go to wind up second in the average. He is just 55 points out of second place in the regional standings with 320 points. Mason Mardeshich of Otero Junior College leads the pack with 445 points.

UW’s most consistent team member this season, Jaden Clark, posted points in both rounds of bareback riding points to wind up third in the overall average, while scoring 125 points for the team. The Wellfleet, Neb., junior is in that same position in the CRMR individual standings with 540 points, while Sheridan College’s Hunter Carlson is the solid leader with 785 points.

The Pokes added 120 points in team roping.

Dusty Taylor, a freshman from Craig, Colo., and his brother, Denton Taylor, a sophomore, combined for 100 points by recording the second fastest time in the long go, but did not place in the short go or the average. The brothers are sitting fifth in the overall regional team roping standings.

Miles City, Mont., sophomore Jess Davison split sixth place in the tie down average to round out the team’s scoring.

The region’s surprise overall leader, Sheridan College, won the final fall rodeo with 515 points, while Central Wyoming College (CWC) was third behind the Pokes with 425 points. Fourth went to Eastern Wyoming College with 365 points, and Northeastern Junior College was fifth at 240.

The Generals lead the overall CRMR with 2,340 points, while defending men’s champion Chadron State is next with 1,628. Rounding out the top five teams are CWC with 1,615, Gillette College with 1,595 and UW with 1,490.

The 2017 spring season opens March 17-19 at Gillette College.

For LCCC individual team and individual results, click here. For overall CRMR standings, go here.