UT Martin Rodeo Teams Sweep First-Place Finishes In Season Finale At Northwest Mississippi

By Ryne Rickman

Senatobia, Miss. – A dominating performance by both University of Tennessee at Martin rodeo teams resulted in season-high scores and top finishes at the rodeo hosted by Northwest Mississippi Community College, over the weekend of April 25-27, 2019.

The UT Martin men’s squad led the standings with 750 points, which was 80 points more than second-place Missouri Valley College. UT Martin was also atop the women’s leaderboard with 480 points, besting second-place Missouri Valley College by 95 points.

A trio of UT Martin cowboys piled up points in all three phases of  bareback riding. Hunter Green led the way with a second-place effort in both average (127) and in the short go (67), and split sixth in the opening round (60). Stetson Bierman finished third with a 124 average, after placing fourth in the first go (63) and fifth in the short round (61). Rounding out the scoring in this event was Bryce Sifford, who finished fourth in average (122), fourth in the short go (62), and split fifth in the opening round (60).

Chase Thrasher led the way for UT Martin in calf roping, as the sophomore from Columbia, Tenn. nearly swept through all three phases. His 18.4 average and 9.4 short round times were the best in the field, while his 9.0 seconds in the first round earned him second place. Hunter Styles came away with points in all three phases: placing second in the short round (12.0), third in the average (23.1), and sixth in the opening go (11.1).

UT Martin also produced a representative to sweep through each category in breakaway roping. Kailey Schmidt’s 5.4 average and 2.8 short go were the top times in the event, while her time of 2.6 seconds in the opening round was the second-best time in the field.

Robert Haley was one of just two cowboys in the entire saddle bronc riding to accrue points. The junior from Fairhope, Ala. split first in both the average and the first round with a score of 70 points.

In steer wrestling, Thrasher once again notched points, while Craig Parks’ 4.7 seconds in the opening go was the best time in the field. Meanwhile, Thrasher delivered times of 5.2 in the short round and 20.2 in average to place second and third, respectively.

Schmidt continued her impressive weekend with another masterful performance in goat tying. The freshman from Cottage Grove, Tenn. secured the best time in average (14.9) and in the short go (7.0), while her 7.9 seconds in the first round placed her sixth. Also providing points was Shayne Mallory, whose 7.4 seconds in the opening round was the second-best time in the field.

Five UT Martin cowboys dialed up points in team roping. Carson Stroup teamed up with Murray State’s Tyler Cook to earn second-place honors in the short round (7.8) and a fourth-place effort in average (25.5). Jake Glass and Robbie Van Holten posted a time of 7.6 seconds in the first round (third place), while Quentin Sawyer and Will McCraw (8.2 seconds) placed fifth in the opening go.

The UT Martin women’s team received a boost in barrel racing, fronted by Casey Allen. She turned in second-place performances in average (27.93) and in the short round (13.95), after her 13.98 in the first go placed her fourth. Mallory’s 28.19 average and 14.01 in the short round were each ranked fourth in the field, while Raegan Taylor’s time of 13.88 seconds in the opening round ranked second.

UT Martin’s next event is the 2019 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), which will once again take place in Casper, Wyoming, June 9 - June 15, 2019. Find more information about the CNFR at: https://cnfr.com/  Follow UT Martin Rodeo at: https://www.utm.edu/news/tag/rodeo/

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