UW Men Close out Fall Season Atop Regional Rodeo Leader Board

A wire-to-wire lead throughout the fall season has given the University of Wyoming men’s rodeo team the top regional spot going into the spring season.

Another steady effort last weekend, the fifth straight for the Cowboys this fall, enabled the UW men to finish in first place in the Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) -- a position the Pokes have enjoyed since the beginning of the semester. The Cowboys opened the year with a first-place finish and, in between, had a record-setting regional performance, scoring a team-record 855 points.

The UW men have not won the CRMR since the 2005-06 season.

It wasn’t one of the best performances of the year, but the Pokes scored enough points at the fall-ending Laramie County Community College (LCCC) rodeo in Cheyenne with 485 points. The fourth-place showing was UW’s lowest finish of the year in any of the five fall rodeos.

Gillette College powered its way to a weekend victory with 585 points, while runner-up Chadron State College scored 535 points. In third place was Sheridan College with 500 points.

The UW men have 2,700 points heading into the spring season, while the two-time champion Generals of Sheridan College have collected 2,165 points. Gillette College’s weekend win boosted the Pronghorns to third place in the men’s regional standings with 2,025 points.

Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) dominated the final women’s rodeo with 510 points, while Chadron was second with 303.33 points. The UW women were third with 230 points. For the first time this season, the Cowgirls fell out of the top position after leading the CRMR through the first four rodeos of the fall calendar.

EWC’s big victory in Cheyenne boosted the Lancers atop the regional leader board with 1,348.33 points, while the UW women slipped into the runner-up position with 1,285 points to trail by just 63 points. In third place is perennial women’s power Gillette College with 1,200 points.

The Cowboys’ top performer of the weekend was Caden Camp, who accounted for 230 individual points for the team.

The Belgrade, Mont., freshman won the tie down roping event with a pair of solid rounds. He won the opening round and had the second-best short go time to win the overall average. He later combined with roping partner JC Flake, of Mesa, Ariz., to add 120 points for the Pokes’ “points team.”

The pair marked the third-best time in the opening round, didn’t record one of the six best times in the short go, but placed fifth in the event’s overall average.

The Cowboys’ final 135 points were secured by Seth Peterson in tie down roping. The Minot, N.D., junior was the runner-up to his teammate, Camp, in the calf roping event. He had the second-best time in the opening round and had the third-best time in the short go. He wound up splitting the runner-up position in the average.

A trio of Cowgirls scored during the LCCC rodeo, with Teisha Coffield leading the way, as she alone accounted for more than half of the team’s points.

The Yuma, Colo., transfer junior placed in two separate events. She was fifth in the opening round of breakaway roping and improved by one spot in the short go to place third overall in her best event, which she captured as the regional champion a year ago.

She later added 70 points in goat tying by placing fifth in the overall average.

Rachael Calvo opened the barrel racing competition with a strong effort, recording the top time in the opening round, but couldn’t match the momentum in the short go. The Bassett, Neb., sophomore fell out of the overall average. She scored 60 points for the Cowgirls.

The final 30 points came from breakaway roper Justene Hirsig, of Cheyenne. The junior was fifth in the short go, which gave her sixth place in the average.