Rodeo continues to lead region as finals approach

By HALEY PRATT Assistant Sports Editor

A team of multiple College National Finals Rodeo prospects, the SDSU Rodeo Club returned from the Black Hills State Rodeo with fourth and third place finishes in men’s and women’s overall, respectively. 

The team collected top ten finishes in seven of nine events, including bareback riding, tie down roping, saddle bronc riding, team roping, goat tying, steer wrestling and barrel racing. 

“They gave up a little ground in the overall picture but still hold the lead for the men’s and women’s titles with two rodeos left,” head coach Ronald Skovly said. 

Colleges represented at the rodeo were Black Hills State, Dickinson State, Hastings College, Iowa State, Mitchell Technical Institute, North Dakota State, the University of Nebraska, the University of Wisconsin- River Falls, Iowa Central Community College, Mid-Plains Community College and the Nebraska College of Technology Agriculture. 

Though only one Jackrabbit would bring home a winning buckle, all SDSU competitors would rope top ten finishes. 

Sophomore Newt Bruley grabbed a winning time in team roping alongside his non- SDSU teammate, Tanner Cross of MTI with 160 points. The duo clocked in at 7.2 and 15.7 seconds in go rounds one and two, respectively to average at 22.9 seconds. 

Also in the running for SDSU were Courtney Birkholtz and Tarin Hupp with a fifth place finish at 45 points. Birkholtz/ Hupp’s average time was 30.6 seconds, good enough for 20 points average. 

In the tie-down, Cadler Johnson averaged a time of 20.5 seconds after clocking in at 9.6 and 10.9 seconds in respective go rounds. Johnson accumulated a total of 140 points in the event. 

Jackrabbit Stampede bareback winner from earlier this season, Nick Schwedhelm finished fourth with 100 points. In go round one, Schwedhelm tallied a score of 63, earning him 40 points. Go round resulted in a score of 52, good enough for 30 points. 

Schwedhelm currently holds the lead in the Great Plains region. 

Iowa Central Community College’s Ethan Hecht with 170 points and Cole Picton with 140 points placed a respective first and second. Dickinson State’s Jordan Pelton placed third with 130. 

College National Rodeo Finals veteran, Ross Odde tied with MTI’s Miles Kreeger for fifth in the saddle bronc with 40 points. Cody Miller finished fourth with 70 points. 

In barrel racing, Jackrabbit Stampede winner Alyshia Moe landed a No. 2 position with an average time of 28.02 seconds and 50 points for 120 total points in the event. Moe placed third in the first go and fourth in the short. 

Barrel racing also featured Nicole Fritz and Kyndall Latham at sixth and seventh, respectively. 

Steer wrestlers Paul Miller and Teil Glaus concluded the event with a respective sixth and eighth. 

Goat tying brought freshman Hope Petry a sixth place finish with 25 points and averaging at 16.3 seconds. Another CNFR veteran, Tarin Hupp took second with 120 points just behind Black Hills State’s Katie Lensegrav with 125. 

“Both [rodeos remaining in the season] are very important rodeos to get back our momentum going into the college finals in June,” Skovly said. 

The 66th CNFR will be held in Casper, Wyo., June 15-21. Upcoming on the regular season schedule will be Hastings College Bobby Gottsch Memorial Rodeo May 2-3 followed by the Dickinson State University Rodeo May 9-10.