By Ryne Rickman
MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Both University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM) teams notched top-five finishes at the rodeo hosted by Southern Arkansas University November 5-7, 2015. The UT Martin men’s team compiled 370 points to rank third in the team standings, while the women’s team tallied 75 points to finish fifth.
Tanner Phipps led three UT Martin cowboys who scored points in bareback riding. Phipps nearly swept all three scoring categories, finishing as the top cowboy in average (143) and in the second round (73), placing place in the opening go (70). Coy Lutz split third in the short go (63), also placing fourth in both average (129) and the first round (66). Houston Herbert’s score of 58 in the first round led to sixth-place finishes in both that event and in average.
In calf roping, Slade Bronson scored points in all three categories, as he finished third in average (19.1), third in the short go (9.5) and fifth in the opening round (9.6). Douglas Rich also generated points for UT Martin, placing fifth in average (20.6) and in the second round (10.6).
Natalie Fletcher was the top finisher in breakaway roping, earning first-place finishes in all three scoring categories. She split top honors with a 3.0 performance in the first round before posting the best times in the short go (3.0) and in average (6.0).
A pair of UTM cowboys accumulated points in steer wrestling. Trey Lloyd placed second in the opening round (5.2), third in average (14.0) and fifth in the short go (8.8), while Bronson picked up the third-best score in the first round (5.3).
Micayla Gray enjoyed success in goat tying, as her time of 8.7 seconds ranked second in the opening round.
The UTM women’s team continued its momentum with four notable performances in barrel racing. Kenzley Wilson split first with a 34.44 average after finishing second in the opening round (17.1) and third in the short go (17.34). Kayla Edmondson registered points in all three scoring categories: top honors in the first round (17.09); third in average (34.47); and fourth in the second round (17.38). Madison Crow and Nealey Dalton each split fourth with 17.23 in the opening round, while Crow also secured points in average (34.88, sixth).
Through five fall rodeos, the UTM men’s squad posted two team victories and top-three finishes in each event. The UTM women’s team took part in four rodeos and posted a pair of top-five efforts.
Both UT Martin rodeo teams begin the spring season Feb. 25-27 at Cossatot Community College.
