Successful season expected for Tarleton rodeo team

STEPHENVILLE, TEXAS-Tarleton State University’s rodeo team started their rodeo season this past weekend traveling to Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, N.M. The men’s team came in third place for the weekend with a score of 300. Western Texas College took the championship with a total of 595 points, and Eastern New Mexico placed second with 360 points. The women took second with 225, and Texas Tech University won the title with 270 points. Head Coach Mark Eakin and his assistants are expecting this to be a winning year for both the men’s and women’s teams. “We have some of the best men and women in the country competing for Tarleton this year,” Eakin said. “We are expecting not only Southwest Region team championships but national and individual championship titles.” Nineteen students qualified for the short round in New Mexico. Everyone entered in the nine events participates in the long round, and the top 10 fastest times or highest scores qualify the individual for the short round. The two scores are combined, and the average is decided. In the men’s tiedown roping, Calvin Brevik split the first round with a 9.9 second run and picked up 55 points, but a broken barrier in the short round took him out of the average. Cole Fincher picked up points in both rounds and the average. He placed sixth in the long round, fifth in the short round and fifth in the average. Justin Brashear, a CNFR qualifier, also made the short round but was just out of placing. Brevik made the short round in the steer wrestling and placed fifth in the short round.

Tarleton qualified three saddle bronc riders to the short round. A returning student started his year off well by collecting 140 points. Isaac Diaz’s 72-point rides placed second in the long round and third in the short round, as well as third in the average. Transfer student Tate Owens also picked up 140 points for his third place finish in the long round, and second place in the short round and average. Lucas Butler placed fifth in the short round and fifth average.

Professional bull rider and Stephenville resident, Harve Stewart, won the first round of the bull riding with a score of 81 points. He also won second in the average.

Tarleton women dominated the barrel racing event by qualifying seven of the 10 girls. Florida freshman Michelle Allison took the first round win with her run of 17.23 seconds. Her second-place finish in the short round gave her the average win, and she collected 170 points. Vernon College transfer student and College National Finals Qualifier Cassie Ward matched Allison’s 170 points. Ward placed second in the first round, won the short round and took second in the average. Kylie Ward, also a Vernon College transfer and CNFR qualifier, placed third in the first round. Tarleton senior Lillian McMullan placed fourth in the short round and fourth in the average. Ginger Hathcock collected points by placing sixth in the short round and fifth in the average and returning Tarleton student Fran Surles won fifth in the short round and sixth in the average. Phylicia Stewart also made the short round but was just out of placing.

The Tarleton women qualified two in both the breakaway roping and the goat tying. Hathcock won the long round of the breakaway with a quick time of 2.5 seconds. She placed sixth in the short round and fifth in the average. Tawny Talkington placed fifth in both rounds and sixth in the average. In the goat tying, Weatherford College transfers Kody Engle and Kayla Emmons made the short round. Engle placed fifth in the short round and sixth in the average.

The team will travel to Sul Ross State University in Alpine on Sept. 24-26 for the second of five rodeos for the fall semester.