UW Rodeo opens strong
The University of Wyoming (UW) Cowboys’ Rodeo Team opened the fall season with a record-setting outing at the Chadron State College Rodeo. The Cowgirls’ team also received the women’s team title.
During the first four fall rodeos of the year, the Cowboys, who are two-time defending Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) champions, scored a school record of 865 points. The previous record of 855 points was set in 2018.
The Cowboys outdistanced second-place Casper College, with 585 team points, and third-place Sheridan College with 410 points.
UW Rodeo Coach Beau Clark, who has been with the team for three years, noted in a UW newsletter the men’s team performance is the result of having a veteran club this season.
“Their work ethic and effort over the years are why they were successful,” he says. “I am so proud of how much they all give to rodeo, and it’s nice to see it be so rewarding for them.”
In addition to the Cowboys’ success, two of the four points team members for the Cowgirls scored for a close win at the Chadron State College Rodeo with 255 points, topping runner-up Chadron State by 30 points. Gillette College placed third with 200 points.
The UW women are also two-time defending regional champions.
Chadron State Rodeo men’s results
Chadron Coffield of Yuma, Colo. and Donny Proffit of Kemmerer each placed in two separate events to lead the Cowboys.
Coffield, a senior, led UW with 305 individual points by winning the tie-down roping and tying for first in steer wrestling. Coffield was the weekend’s all-around runner-up, third in the opening round of tie-down roping, and he won the average when he placed first in the short go. Coffield was third and second, respectively, in the two rounds of steer wrestling, splitting the average with Laramie County Community College’s (LCCC) Riley Reiss.
Proffit placed first in the opening round of bareback and had a solid ride in the short go for second, splitting the average with Casper College’s Ethan Mazurenck. Proffit added 75 points to his 240 individual points for the Cowboys by placing fourth in the bull riding average. He reached the short go by splitting third place in the opening round.
Austin Hurlburt, from Norfolk, Neb., put together a consistent two rounds of calf roping, finishing with the second-best times on both of his attempts to finish as the tie-down roping runner-up. He was the third UW men’s team member to score in triple digits with 150 points.
Seth Peterson of Minot, N.D., who won the region’s all-around title two years ago, returned for his final season and placed fourth in the steer wrestling average. Peterson scored 90 points for the UW men.
The final 80 points came from Garrett Uptain, from Craig, Colo., who used a third-place finish in the short go to finish in the same spot in the saddle bronc riding’s overall average.
Chadron State Rodeo women’s results
The Cowgirls also had a solid weekend.
Taylour Latham of Lapoint, Utah and Faith Hoffman of Kiowa, Colo. placed in goat tying, giving the Cowgirls the overall women’s team title over the weekend.
Latham was third in the opening round and moved up to second place in the short go to give her second overall in the average. Hoffman won the opening round but fell to fifth place in the short go and split fifth in the average.
Two more UW Cowgirls won their respective events, but they were not selected prior to the weekend rodeo for the women’s points team.
Makenna Balkenbush from Sheridan led a UW-dominated goat tying contingent by winning the short go round, which put her first overall in the average. Teammate Karson Bradley from Big Piney won the barrel racing on the strength of posting the opening round’s best time.
The UW Rodeo team will take to Cheyenne for the next CRMR rodeo, where LCCC will host the annual Shane Dubie Memorial Rodeo Sept. 18-20.
