STEPHENVILLE, Texas -- Tarleton State University’s rodeo team traveled to Ranger College this past weekend for their first rodeo of the spring semester. All contestants competed in the long round, and the top 10 in each event competed in the short go round on Saturday night.
Tarleton had a successful weekend, with 21 students representing the university in the championship round Saturday. The women won the team championship by collecting 284 points, which helped move them into the lead for the women’s Southwest Region standings.
Senior Cassie Ward won the women’s All-Around title; a contestant must compete in more than one event to qualify for this prestigious award. Ward competed and collected points in more than one event, placing in both the long and short rounds and second in the average of the breakaway roping, collecting 114 points. She also placed in the long round of the barrel racing.
Shelby Irick roped consistently all weekend; she was 3.0 on both her calves. That helped her split third place in the long round, short round and average. Freshman Casey Carter won second the long round, third in the short round, and second in the average.
Cassie Vierstra won the short round and average of goat tying. Viestra’s outstanding 6.9-second run the short round clinched the average win. She is currently in the top ten in goat tying and fourth in breakaway roping for the region. Shelby Smith placed second in the long round with her 7.7 second run.
Joel Schlegel won the bareback riding average at RC and moved to fifth in the overall standings. Schlegel’s 80-point ride in the short go round was enough to win that round and place him one point ahead of second place average finisher Luke Creacy of Texas Tech University. Clay Anthony also made the short round, collecting points and moving him into the top 15 in the regions.
Saddle bronc riders Tol Cawley and Tim Sparing rode very consistently and collected points in both rounds and the average; Cawley moved into second place for the region, while Sparing is twelfth.
Sam Wyatt won the long round of bull riding with his 87-point ride, and was enough to place third in the average. Wyatt gathered 100 points and moved into third in the standings.
In team roping, Brody Self and partner, Rhett Anderson of Howard College, won fourth in the long round, split second in the short round, and second in the average. TSU partners Randall Eggemeyer and Billy Bob Brown ended up fifth in the long round, split second in the short round, and fourth in the average. This win helped them move to fifth in the regional standings.
Other TSU Students making the short rounds: Leshaun Marshall, breakaway roping; Keil Rowan, steer wrestling; and Troy Hubbard and Casey Harmon, tiedown roping.
For official Southwest Regional standings and results, visit www.collegerodeo.com. The team has two weeks off from the college rodeos, but will be hosting a breakaway roping clinic the weekend of March 12, and the annual scholarship rodeo on March 19.