Panhandle State Rodeo Off to a Promising Start

Colby, Kan. — The Panhandle State University Rodeo team had a solid start to the fall season at the Colby Community College rodeo this past weekend. The short round was painted in red and blue with 13 Aggies representing the team. The women’s team dominated the standings winning by 130 points while the men’s team finished a very close second and obtained two event titles.

Senior Will Martin was on a roll this weekend in the bareback riding. Martin laid down two solid winning rides to earn the Bareback Riding Champion title. Saddle Bronc rider Jake Finlay won a second title for the Panhandle State men’s team. He was 78 points in the long round and 71 points to tie for first place in the short round with his teammate Tanner Hays who placed second in the aggregate race. Also on the men’s side, both bull riders Callum Miller and Dustin Martinez made it back to the short round with 81 point rides. Miller was 73 points in the short round, which gave him the number three spot in the aggregate.

On the timed event side of the arena, junior Nate Johnsrud came back in the short round in both the tie-down roping and the team roping. Johnsrud and his partner Sloan Smith from Southwestern Oklahoma State University ended up third in the short round, which earned them the third spot in the aggregate. Also qualifying for the short round in the team roping was the Panhandle State team of Colt Humbard and Trey Hall. They came back to the short round with a time of 8.9 seconds. Humbard and Hall finished fifth in the average despite a five second penalty in the short round.

Panhandle State dominated the breakaway roping bringing back four girls to the short round and taking the number one and two spot in the short round and average. Bridget Merrigan had a time of 3.6 seconds in the long round and 4.9 seconds in the short round making her the Champion Breakaway Roper. Caitlyn Wiswell was a 2.8 seconds in the long round and 6.1 seconds in the short round, which gave her the second place in the aggregate. Hagen Brunson also made it back to the short round with a 3.1 seconds along with Kaylee Bruhn who was 3.2 seconds. Both girls failed to stop the clock in the short round.

Junior Kaylee Smith brought the goat tying title back to Panhandle State with the fastest time of the weekend in the long round, 6.9 seconds. Pressure was high as she was the only Panhandle State cowgirl to make it back to the short round in the goat tying, but Smith wasn’t intimidated. She ran a 7.9 in the short round, which gave her the second place in the round and the Goat Tying Champion title.

The team leaves the first college rodeo of the year with four event championship titles in the bank and a great deal of pride. They are going to be hard at practice the next two weeks to come back just as prepared for the next college rodeo in Durant, Okla. at Southeastern Oklahoma State University on September 28-30. Stay tuned because the Aggies are more eager than ever to keep that “Winning Tradition” alive!

Courtesy of OPSU