Final rodeo nears; two CWC contestants likely to make it to finals
With one rodeo left for the spring season two rodeo team members look promising to make the College National Finals Rodeo this summer in Casper, Wyoming.
Colton Miller has been teetering back in forth on the Central Rocky Mountain regions leader board between first and second place with Gillette College's Travis Nelson in the saddle bronc riding event.
"You just can't say anything bad about Colton and the way he's been performing," said Drew Schrock, rodeo coach. "He's done well this season. He got bucked off in the short round but he will come back to this next rodeo and will do well. He will make it to finals and is determined to win nationals."
At Casper College's rodeo this past weekend Miller placed sixth with a score of 65 points in the long go-round and a no score in the short go-round which dropped his first place standing in the region to the second spot.
Teammate Brady Thurston placed fifth in the same event, scoring 68 points in the long go-round and also had a no score in the short go-round. Thurston has had a rough season in the saddle bronc event but has maintained well in the steer wrestling event keeping seventh place for the Central Rocky Mountain Region standings. Coltin Hill who is sitting third in the region placed fourth at the Casper rodeo with a time 5.6 seconds in the long go-round and 5.3 seconds in the short go-round. Dalton Burgener had a time of 6.6 seconds in the long go-round and broke the barrier in the short go-round resulting in 14.5 seconds.
"After riding a different horse this rodeo season, Hill switched to riding his horse Jack, a horse which won horse of the year two years ago by the American Quarter Horse Association for the Central Rocky Mountain Region," Schrock said. "That decision proved to pay off for him."
Teigen Finnerty and his team roping partner Cody Ballek of Sheridan College placed fifth with a time of 6.5 seconds in the long go-round and Finnerty broke the barrier in the short go-round resulting in a ten second penalty with a final time of 16 seconds.
Piper Naylon placed 11th with a time of 8.5 seconds in the long go-round and a no time in the short go-round.
Kassie Kautzman placed fifth with a time of 3 seconds in the long go-round and 4.2 seconds in the short go-round. Kautzman is in the sixth spot for the region.
"Kassie placing fifth at this rodeo added 53 points to her region standings, putting her only about 26 points away from the number three spot," Schrock said. "This will put her in a solid position to be contingent for finals if she does well at the next rodeo. She's been roping really well and roped two tough calves this last rodeo and I'm confident that she will go to Laramie and will compete to win."
The team has one more rodeo to make up points to move up on the leader board to make it to national finals. Qualifying contestants must be in the first three spots in the Central Rocky Mountain region leader board.
The final rodeo of the season will be this weekend April 29-30 at Laramie, Wyoming for the University of Wyoming rodeo.