By Ryne Rickman
Livingston, Ala. – For the second consecutive week to start the 2019-20 season, the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s rodeo squad brought home the team title as the Skyhawk cowboys won the West Alabama event by a wide margin over the weekend, September 26-28, 2019.
UT Martin accrued 810 points, which easily topped the seven-team field and was 280 points more than second-place Missouri Valley College. Just last week, the UT Martin men’s squad won the Missouri Valley College rodeo with 670 overall points.
Hunter Green stayed hot in bareback riding, pacing a trio of UT Martin cowboys who earned points in that event. Green swept first-place accolades in average (150), first round scoring (74) and short go scoring (76). Stetson Bierman ranked just behind Green in second place during all three categories, placing second in average (145) after receiving a score of 72 in the opening round and 73 in the short go. Weston Hamilton also secured points for UT Martin by splitting third after a 57 in the second round.
Three more cowboys built up points in calf roping, led by a near-perfect effort from Chase Thrasher. He finished first in both average (19.4) and the first round (9.4), while placing second with a time of 10.1 seconds in the short go. Cole Harmon was responsible for points in all three phases, finishing third in average (22.2), third in the short go (10.7), and sixth in the first round (11.5). Also earning points for UT Martin was Will McCraw, who came away with a 10.6 in the opening round (second-best time), a 23.6 average (fourth place), and a 13.0 in the short go (sixth place).
The duo of Casey Allen and Bailey Barrett produced solid performances for UT Martin in breakaway roping. Allen finished fourth in both average (7.2) and in the short round (4.0), while Barrett found a scoring finish in all three phases, placing fifth in the opening go (3.0), fifth in the short round (12.9), and sixth in average (15.9).
In saddle bronc riding, Robert Haley put on a show for UT Martin – chalking up second-place finishes in both average (136) and in the first round (77), then placing fourth in the short go (59). Jack Smithson accounted for high-quality finishes as well, placing first with a 78 in the opening round and fifth with his 78 average.
Three cowboys represented UT Martin in steer wrestling, headed by Robbie Van Holten. The graduate student from Chesapeake, Va. finished second in average (13.4), third in the short round (6.2), and split fourth in the opening go (7.2). Thrasher found success in all three phases, splitting fourth in the first round (7.2), placing fifth in average (17.7), and finishing sixth in the short go (10.5). In addition, Hunter Styles earned points after splitting second with a time of 5.8 seconds in the first round.
A pair of UT Martin duos earned points in team roping. The team of Ross Mitchell and Will McCraw finished second in average (23.0), second in the short round (8.7), and fifth in the first round (14.3). Meanwhile, Jake Glass and Carson Stroup managed a time of 12.1 in the first round to finish in fourth place.
The UT Martin men’s team will look for its third victory in a row Oct. 3-5, when it visits Three Rivers Community College for a rodeo in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
Livingston, Ala. – For the second consecutive week to start the 2019-20 season, the University of Tennessee at Martin men’s rodeo squad brought home the team title as the Skyhawk cowboys won the West Alabama event by a wide margin over the weekend, September 26-28, 2019.
UT Martin accrued 810 points, which easily topped the seven-team field and was 280 points more than second-place Missouri Valley College. Just last week, the UT Martin men’s squad won the Missouri Valley College rodeo with 670 overall points.
Hunter Green stayed hot in bareback riding, pacing a trio of UT Martin cowboys who earned points in that event. Green swept first-place accolades in average (150), first round scoring (74) and short go scoring (76). Stetson Bierman ranked just behind Green in second place during all three categories, placing second in average (145) after receiving a score of 72 in the opening round and 73 in the short go. Weston Hamilton also secured points for UT Martin by splitting third after a 57 in the second round.
Three more cowboys built up points in calf roping, led by a near-perfect effort from Chase Thrasher. He finished first in both average (19.4) and the first round (9.4), while placing second with a time of 10.1 seconds in the short go. Cole Harmon was responsible for points in all three phases, finishing third in average (22.2), third in the short go (10.7), and sixth in the first round (11.5). Also earning points for UT Martin was Will McCraw, who came away with a 10.6 in the opening round (second-best time), a 23.6 average (fourth place), and a 13.0 in the short go (sixth place).
The duo of Casey Allen and Bailey Barrett produced solid performances for UT Martin in breakaway roping. Allen finished fourth in both average (7.2) and in the short round (4.0), while Barrett found a scoring finish in all three phases, placing fifth in the opening go (3.0), fifth in the short round (12.9), and sixth in average (15.9).
In saddle bronc riding, Robert Haley put on a show for UT Martin – chalking up second-place finishes in both average (136) and in the first round (77), then placing fourth in the short go (59). Jack Smithson accounted for high-quality finishes as well, placing first with a 78 in the opening round and fifth with his 78 average.
Three cowboys represented UT Martin in steer wrestling, headed by Robbie Van Holten. The graduate student from Chesapeake, Va. finished second in average (13.4), third in the short round (6.2), and split fourth in the opening go (7.2). Thrasher found success in all three phases, splitting fourth in the first round (7.2), placing fifth in average (17.7), and finishing sixth in the short go (10.5). In addition, Hunter Styles earned points after splitting second with a time of 5.8 seconds in the first round.
A pair of UT Martin duos earned points in team roping. The team of Ross Mitchell and Will McCraw finished second in average (23.0), second in the short round (8.7), and fifth in the first round (14.3). Meanwhile, Jake Glass and Carson Stroup managed a time of 12.1 in the first round to finish in fourth place.
The UT Martin men’s team will look for its third victory in a row Oct. 3-5, when it visits Three Rivers Community College for a rodeo in Poplar Bluff, Mo.
