CNFR crowns champions: Wyoming rodeo athletes impress at 2024 finals
Collegiate rodeo athletes hailing from the great state of Wyoming and representing the Central Rocky Mountain Region had an impressive showing at the 2024 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), held June 7-15 at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
This year’s rodeo proved Wyoming has raised and is home to some of the greatest rodeo athletes in the nation, as the Cowboy State produced four top 10 teams and one of the 2024 CNFR national champions.
Goat tying
After a week of consistent six-second runs, McKenna Clingman, a Laramie native who rides for Colorado Mesa University (CMU), earned the national championship title in the goat tying at the 2024 CNFR.
Clingman placed in the top 10 in all four rounds, taking seventh place in the first round with a 6.5-second run, fourth in the second round with a 6.3-second run, third in the third round with a 6.5-second run and second in the short go with a 6.7-second run.
A slim three-tenths of a second landed Oklahoma Panhandle State University’s McKenna Brennan of Reno, Nev. second in the nation. Brennan tied for seventh in the first round with a 6.5-second run, then placed sixth in the second round with a 6.4-second run and 10th in the third round with a 6.7-second run. She tied for second in the short go with a 6.7-second run.
Another three-tenths of a second separated Brennan and the Central Rocky Mountain Region’s All-Around Cowgirl Haiden Thompson, a Yoder native representing Gillette College, who took third in the nation.
Thompson won the short go with a 6.2-second run and tied her goat in 7.1 seconds in the first round, 6.4 seconds in the second round and 6.9 seconds in the third round.
Tarleton State University Cowgirl Rayme Jones of Lamesa, Texas started the week strong, winning the first two rounds with two consecutive 6.1-second runs. Jones finished third in the third round with a 6.5-second run and 10th in the short go with an 8.5-second run. She finished the week fourth in the national standings.
Rounding out the top five was Opal Harkins, a Billings, Mont. cowgirl who rides for South Dakota State University (SDSU). Harkins tied her goat in 7.0 seconds in the first round, 7.2 seconds in the second round, 6.6 seconds in the third round and 7.1 seconds in the short go.
Barrel racing
University of West Alabama’s (UWA) Taycie Matthews of Wynne, Ark. won her second consecutive national championship this year after placing in the top three in all four rounds.
Taycie topped the leaderboard in the first round, second round and short go with respective runs of 13.93 seconds, 13.81 seconds and 13.66 seconds and was third in the third round with a run of 13.92 seconds.
For the second year in a row, Tayla Moeykens of Three Forks, Mont. finished in the second-place position behind Taycie, also finishing in the top three in all four rounds.
The Montana State University (MSU) cowgirl finished third in the first round with a 14.03-second run, second in the second round with a 13.99-second run, first in the third round with a 13.70-second run and second in the short go with a 13.80-second run.
Donning the bright purple vest of Tarleton State University, Jordan Driver of Garden City, Texas was third in the barrel racing with runs of 14.39 seconds, 14.15 seconds, 13.84 seconds and 14.15 seconds.
Taycie’s sister Jaylie Matthews, who also ropes for UWA, made the top five in the event as well. Jaylie finished fourth in the nation with runs of 14.14 seconds, 14.48 seconds, 14.25 seconds and 14.06 seconds.
Wyoming made the leaderboard in a second event when Wheatland’s Rayne Grant, a cowgirl at Laramie County Community College (LCCC), rounded out the top five in the barrel racing at the 2024 CNFR.
Grant placed ninth in the first round with a run of 14.27 seconds, third in the second round with a run of 14.10 seconds and eighth in the short go with a run of 14.29 seconds.
Breakaway roping
A lightening fast week of consistent two-second runs landed Madalyn Richards of Hereford, Texas at the top of the podium in the breakaway roping.
Richards, who ropes for Texas A&M University (TAMU), finished fifth in the first round after roping her calf in 2.3 seconds, second in the second round with a time of 2.0 seconds, sixth in the third round with 2.4 seconds and third in the short go.
Another UWA cowgirl – Lauren Booty of Gillsburg, Miss. – ended the week second in the nation. Booty had two 2.1-second runs in the first and second rounds, tying for first in the first round and fourth in the second. She ran a 3.6 in the third round and a 2.6 in the short go, which landed her in fourth place.
Coming in third was fellow UWA cowgirl Ashley Henderson of Pensacola, Fla. Henderson caught her calf in 2.4 seconds in the first round, 2.6 seconds in the second round, 3.6 seconds in the third round and 2.9 seconds in the short go.
Fallon Johnson, a Laketown, Utah resident riding for Utah State University (USU), finished fourth in the nation with times of 3.4 seconds, 3.7 seconds, 3.0 seconds and 3.2 seconds.
Johnson was followed by Falyn Thomson in fifth. A Clarendon College cowgirl from Longview, Alberta, Canada, Thomson ran times of 12.0 seconds, 2.5 seconds, 2.0 seconds and 1.8 seconds, which placed her second in the third round and first in the short go.
Tie-down roping
Three fifth-place finishes – 9.6 seconds in the first round, 8.5 seconds in the second round and 9.0 seconds in the third round – along with a second-place finish in the short go with a time of 8.7 seconds earned Hill College’s Koby Douch of Huntsville, Texas the championship title in the tie-down roping.
Blayne Saine of Detroit, Ala. was the second-place tie-down roper. Riding for UWA, Saine finished fourth in the first round with 9.5 seconds, ninth in the second round with 9.5 seconds, eight in the third round with 9.4 seconds and fourth in the short go with 9.6 seconds.
MSU’s Wyatt Jensen of Blackfoot, Idaho ended the week third in the nation with runs of 13.6 seconds, 9.0 seconds and 9.3 seconds, as well as an 8.4-second run to win the short go.
Rounding out the top five positions was a two-way tie between Kass Newman of Moses Lake, Wash. and Bode Spring of Bozeman, Mont.
Newman, a Central Arizona College cowboy, ran 14.0 seconds in the first round, 8.3 seconds in the second round, 11.4 seconds in the third round and 9.5 seconds in the short go.
Spring represents MSU and had runs of 11.0 seconds, 10.5 seconds, 10.4 seconds and 11.3 seconds.
Team roping
The 2024 CNFR Team Roping Champions were Hill College’s James Arviso of Seba Dalkai, Ariz. and TAMU’s Kaden Profili of Jacksonville, Texas, who ran an 11.4 in the first round, a 4.1 in the second round, a 10.7 in the third round and a 5.4 in the short go.
In second was a Cal Poly State University-San Luis Obispo duo made up of Tucker Donlon of Santa Maria, Calif. and Pierce Wold of Wilton, Calif. After a no score in the first round, the two came back with three consecutive runs of 7.4 seconds.
Two ropers hailing from the Mount Rushmore State claimed the third spot in the event. Black Hills State University’s Clayton Backhaus of Bismarck, N.D. and SDSU’s Lan Fuhrer of Belle Fourche, S.D. roped their steers in 6.1 seconds, 11.2 seconds and 6.2 seconds in the first three rounds.
East Mississippi Community College’s Tanner Brown of Florence, Miss. and Northwest Mississippi Community College’s Laine Moore of Albertville, Ala. were the fourth-place team, with runs of 7.7 seconds, 12.6 seconds and 5.2 seconds in the last three rounds.
Brothers Blake Bowler and TJ Bowler finished out the top five, with runs of 9.5, 9.1 and 16.6 seconds in the first three rounds. Hailing from Enterprise, Utah, Blake rides for Southern Utah University and TJ for USU.
Steer wrestling
Donning the emerald vest of Utah Valley University, Sam Carson of Lindon, Utah was crowned the 2024 CNFR Steer Wrestling Champion.
Carson placed in the top 10 in all four rounds, winning first in the first round with a 4.5-second run, sixth in the second round with a 4.6-second run, second in the third round with a 4.1-second run and fourth in the short go with a 4.8-second run.
Cisco College’s Tyler Bauerle of Charlotte, Texas followed in second place, running a 7.0 in the first round, 4.7 in the second round and 4.8 in the third round. A quick time of 3.8 seconds won Bauerle the short go.
Cinch Painter, a Springview, Neb. cowboy who rides for Mid-Plains Community College finished the week third in the nation with runs of 6.2 seconds, 5.6 seconds, 5.4 seconds and 4.2 seconds.
Following Painter in the fourth-place slot was Jacob Haren of Erie, Colo. A representative of Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Haren had runs of 7.8 seconds, 4.3 seconds, 5.2 seconds and 5.4 seconds.
Landris White of Angleton, Texas polished off the top five steer wrestlers. The Tarleton State University cowboy ended the week with runs of 5.5 seconds, 6.6 seconds, 6.3 seconds and 4.5 seconds.
Saddle bronc riding
Three of Wyoming’s own made up the top five athletes in the 2024 CNFR saddle bronc riding competition.
Ira Dickinson, a Rock Springs native who rides for Tarleton State University, finished second in the nation behind fellow Tarleton State University bronc rider Gus Gaillard of Morse, Texas.
Gaillard put up a consistent score of 78.5 points in the first three rounds, respectively winning fourth, first and third, while Dickinson placed ninth in the first round with 73.5 points, fourth in the second round with 76 points and first in the third round with 84.5 points.
The two cowboys tied for a first-place finish in the short go with 83.5 points.
New Mexico State University’s (NMSU) Zac Dallas of Las Cruces, N.M. was third in the event, racking up scores of 79, 76, 75.5 and 76.5 points.
Two Casper College cowboys rounded out the top five in the event.
Hailing from Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, Canada, James Perrin earned scores of 73.5, 72.5, 79 and 80.5 points during the week, winning the third round, while fellow Thunderbird Talon Elshere of Hereford, S.D. rode for 80.5, 65.5, 78 and 80.5 points.
Bareback riding
Cooper Filipek, a Gillette College representative from New Underwood, S.D., made Wyoming proud after placing second in the nation in the 2024 CNFR bareback riding behind Clarendon College’s Weston Timberman.
Timberman placed in the top five in all four rounds, winning the first round with 80.5 points and the second round with 81 points. He was also second in the third round with 80.5 points and fourth in the short go with 79 points.
Filipek finished 10th in the first round with 77.5 points, fifth in the second round with 78.5 points, first in the third round with 83.5 points and third in the short go with 81 points.
Coming in third was Missouri Valley College’s Ty Pope of Williamsburg, Kan. Pope rode for 80 points in the first round, 79.5 points in both the second and third rounds and 78.5 points in the short go.
A Thermopolis native – Roedy Farrell of Tarleton State University – finished fourth in the nation with scores of 78, 76.5 and 77 points in the first three rounds. Farrell tied for first in the short go with an 81.5-point ride.
TAMU bronc rider Gavin French of Fredricksburg, Texas claimed the fifth-place position with scores of 78, 79, 76 and 79 points on the week.
Bull riding
Despite missing the eight-second mark in the short go, Wacey Schalla of Clarendon College was crowned the 2024 CNFR National Bull Riding Champion with scores of 81, 83 and 83.5 points in the first three rounds.
Following Schalla in the second-place position was Wharton County Junior College’s Zeke Martinez with scores of 78.5, 82 and 86 points in the first round, third round and short go, respectively.
After getting bucked off in the first round, Western Oklahoma State College’s Jesse Hopper came back with a vengeance and finished third in the nation with scores of 75, 77 and 81 points in the last three rounds.
Brad Moreno of Kayenta, Ariz., a bull rider for NMSU, was fourth in the nation with scores of 71, 73.5 and 78.5 points in the first round, third round and short go, respectively.
The fifth-place position was claimed by Cooper Jacobs of Spanish Fork, Utah. The Western Texas College cowboy only made one ride in the third round for 79.5 points.
All-Around awards
Wyoming was well represented in the individual and team All-Around awards as well.
Bodie Mattson, a University of Wyoming cowboy from Sturgis, S.D., finished fourth in the Men’s All-Around with 140 points behind Kass Newman in third with 172.5 points, Ty Pope in second with 260 points and Wacey Schalla in first with 477.5 points.
Gillette College’s Thanye Elshere of Sturgis, S.D. also made the list, finishing seventh with 100 points.
Tarleton State University took home the Men’s All-Around Team title with 895 points, followed by Clarendon College in second with 820 points, Western Oklahoma State College in third with 670 points and Hill College in fourth with 555 points.
Casper College and Cal Poly State University-San Luis Obispo tied for fifth with 510 points.
Gillette College also made the top 10 with 460 points.
In the Women’s All-Around, LCCC’s Rayne Grant finished second with 145 points behind Madalyn Richards who swept the competion with 362 points.
Kennedy Buckner of Blue Mountain Community College and Mikenne Schauer of Montana State University-Northern tied for third with 50 points each.
The UWA women’s team blew the competition out of the water, racking up 855 points for a first-place finish.
Tarleton State University came in second with 605 points, followed by TAMU with 567 points, MSU with 345 points and CMU with 307.5 points.
The LCCC women’s team ended eighth in the nation with 160 points and Gillette College’s women’s team was 10th with 145 points.
Hannah Bugas is the managing editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.
