CASPER, WY — The dust has settled in the Casper Events Center and the curtain has closed on the 67th annual College National Finals Rodeo.
Nearly 400 contestants started the week long competition vying for national titles in bareback riding, tie-down roping, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, goat tying, team roping, barrel racing and bull riding. It was a big night for the men from Tarleton State University at Stephenville, Texas. Their Landon Williams won the tie-down roping and all-around championships.
Williams who is a senior majoring in ag industries also competed in the team roping finishing in sixth place to secure the all-around title. The Midland, Texas resident has competed here three times before but this is the first time he has left with a championship. He earned 445 of Tarleton’s 915 points that earned them the national men’s team title.
Callahan Crossley from Blue Mountain Community College carried their women’s team to a national title. Crossley earned 260 points in the barrel racing and that title. The Hermiston, Ore., resident and second generation competitor earned over half of Blue Mountain’s 517.5 points that got them to the top of the leader board.
It was no surprise to any of the rodeo fans to see Missouri Valley College’s Tim O’Connell win the bareback riding. He came into Saturday night’s finals with a 23-point lead. After winning the three preliminary rounds, the Zwingle, Iowa resident finished second in the finals. He won the championship over Jamie Howlett from Western Texas College by 26 points. O’Connell had 331 for the title compared to Howlett’s 305.
The bulls once again dominated the riders with 12 unsuccessful cowboys in the final round. The champion was won based on previous rides and went to Gary Essary from Ranger College with 151 points on two rides.
2015 College National Finals Rodeo Champions
Bareback Riding: (final round winners) 1, Jamie Howlett, Western Texas College, 83.5 points on Mo Betta Rodeo’s Jason’s Pride. 2, Tim O’Connell, Missouri Valley College, 82.5. 3, Wyatt Bloom, Montana State University, 82. 4, Dustin Jackson, Sam Houston State University, 78. (overall winners – on four) 1, O’Connell, 331. 2, Howlett, 305. 3, Kody Lamb, Tarleton State University, 296. 4, (tie) Bloom and Jackson, 295.5 points each. 6, (tie) Dantan Bertsch, Casper College; Wyatt Denny, Panola Junior College; and Shane O’Connell, Western Texas College, 287.5.
Tie-Down Roping: (final round winners) 1,Bobby Abernathy, McNeese State University, 7.9 seconds. 2, Keaton Schaffer, Central Arizona College, 9.6. 3, Landon Williams, Tarleton State University, 9.9. 4, Clark Adcock, University of Tennessee – Martin, 10.0. (overall winners – on four) 1, Williams, 39.0. 2,
Abernathy, 41.5. 3, Joshua Walker, Western Texas College, 42.4. 4, Schaffer, 43.2. 5, Adcock, 43.6. 6, (tie) Tyler Forsberg, Fresno State College, and Tylen Layton, Northeast Oklahoma State University, 45.2 each. 8, Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College, 49.6.
Steer wrestling: (final round winners) 1, Cameron Morman, Dickinson State University, 4.7 seconds. 2, Jesse Brown, Montana State University, 5.2. 3, Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College, 5.8. 4, Tucker Wright, Walla Walla Community College, 7.7 (overall winners – on four) 1, Morman, 25.1. 2, Parke, 29.1. 3, Jace Lane, Tarleton State University, 31.6. 4, Newt Novich, University of Montana Western, 34.1. 5, Brown, 36.2. (on three) 6, Jacob Edler, Western Oklahoma State College, 16.0. 7, Wright, 19.1. 8, Coledon Harmon, Weatherford College, 23.2.
Breakaway Roping: (final round winners) 1, Randi Buchanan, Panhandle State University, 2.5 seconds. 2, Tamara Tunink, Western Texas College, 2.8. 3, Beanna Ellis, Missouri Valley College, 3.1. 4, Chelsey Bushnell, Feather Fiver College, 4.2. (overall winners – on four) 1, Tunink, 11.9. 2, Buchanan, 13.2. 3, Ellis, 23.6. 4, Bushnell, 24.6. 5, Zoe Billings, New Mexico State University, 31.4. 6, Janey Reeves, Cochise College, 32.7. (on three) 7, Kirbie Crouse, Missouri Valley College, 8.1. 8, Kimberlyn Fitch, Idaho State University, 9.1.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (final round winners – three rides) 1, Clay Elliott, Panhandle State University, 81.5 points on Harry Vold Rodeo’s Kate’s Hot Sister. 2, (tie) Cole Hatfield, Hill College, and Jace Lane, Tarleton State University 71.5 each. 3, (overall winners – on four) 1, Elliott, 299.5. 2, Lane, 271. (on three) 3, Rusty Wright, College of Southern Idaho, 223. 4, Kendall Green, Montana State University, 210. 5, Shade Etbauer, Panhandle State University, 207. 6, Hatfield, 199.5. 7, Brady Dinwoodie, University of Wyoming, 198.5. 8, Hawkins Boyce, Odessa College, 139.5.
Team Roping: (final round winners) 1, Pedro Egurrola and Steven Gaona, Central Arizona College, 4.9 seconds. 2, Kolton Schmidt, Southeastern Oklahoma State University and Sawyer Barnham, Coffeyville College, 6.2. 3, Forrest Fisher, Hill College and Trace Porter, McNeese State University, 6.9. 4, Treg Schaack, Northeastern Junior College, and Seth Andersen, Gillette College, 15.7. (overall winners – on four) 1, Schmidt and Barham, 24.2. 2, Fisher and Porter, 25.6. 3, Egurrola and Gaona, 31.3. 4, Clay Crozier, Southern Utah University and Brody Adams, Colorado Northwest Community College, 46.4. (on three) 5, Hunter Munsell and Douglas Rich, Western Oklahoma State College, 18.8. 6, Casey Tew, Weatherford College and Landon Williams, Tarleton State University, 22.2. 7, Tristan Ruffoni and Dalton Pearce, Cuesta College, 28.2. 8, Schaack and Andersen, 30.4.
Goat Tying: (final round winners) 1,Shelby Freed, Idaho State University, 6.4 seconds. 2, Kirsten Smith, McNeese State University, 6.5. 3, Bobbi Grann, Dickinson State University, 6.7. 4, Loni Pearce, Southern Arkansas University, 6.8. (overall winners) 1, Pearce, 26.2. 2, Smith, 26.3. 3, Grann, 26.7. 4, Freed, 27. 5, (tie) Macy Fuller Central Arizona College and Lauren Barnes, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 27.3 each. 7, Callie Stanhouse, Three Rivers College, 27.6. 8, Courtney Wood, Feather River College, 27.8.
Barrel Racing: (final round winners) 1, Callahan Crossley, Blue Mountain Community College, 13.72 seconds. 2, Hailey Kinsel, Texas A & M University, 13.90. 3, Billie Holman, Fresno State University, 13.91. 4, Danyelle Williams, Blue Mountain Community College, 13.92. (overall winners) 1, Crossley, 56.00. 2, (tie) Williams, and Holman, 56.31 each. 4, Shelby Herrman, Tarleton State University, 56.40. 5, Kortney Cleveland, Eastern New Mexico State University, 56.70. 6. Hailey Kinsel, Texas A & M University, 56.83. 7, Jessica Lewis, Blue Mountain Community College, 56.92. 8, Taylor Engesser, Gillette College, 57.03.
Bull Riding: (final round) no rides (overall winners – on two) 1, Gray Essary, Ranger College, 151. 2, Trasen Jones, College of Southern Idaho, 150.5. 3, Josh Frost, Panhandle State University, 140. 4, Joe Frost, Panhandle State University, 138. (on one) 5, Travis Smith, Missouri Valley College, 77. 6, Winston Cheek, Eastern Mississippi Community College, 76.5. 7, Josh Davison, New Mexico State University, 75.5. 8, (tie) Bryan Carter, Oregon State University, and Drew Antone, Casper College, 71.5 each.
Men’s All-Around: 1, Landon Williams, Tarleton State University, 445 points. 2, Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College, 445 points. 2, Jared Parke, Blue Mountain Community College, 295. 3, Jace Lane, Tarleton State University, 240. 4, Clark Adcock, University of Tennessee- Martin, 235.
Women’s All-Around: 1, Kirsten Smith, McNeese State University, 285 points. 2, Hayden Todd, Eastern New Mexico State University, 265. 3, Randi Buchanan, Panhandle State University, 255. 4, Shelby Freed, Idaho State University, 220.
Men’s Team: 1, Tarleton State University, 915 points. 2, Panhandle State University, 835. 3, Missouri Valley College, 645. 4, College of Southern Idaho, 590.
Women’s Team: 1, Blue Mountain Community College, 517.50 points. 2, McNeese State University, 420. 3, Eastern New Mexico University, 350. 4, Central Arizona College, 285.83.