The UTM rodeo teams continued the 2020-21 campaign over the weekend, taking part in the three-day event hosted by Three Rivers College.
For the third time in as many rodeos, UTM earned a second-place finish in the men’s team standings. The Skyhawk cowboys dialed up 665 points, only 30 points behind first-place finisher Missouri Valley College. On the women’s side, UTM finished seventh with 40 points as West Alabama claimed the top spot with 240 points.
In bareback riding, Stetson Bierman and Bryce Sifford each secured points for UTM. Bierman placed third in both average (139) and in the opening round (77) while Sifford recorded points in each of the three phases (133 average, split fourth; 69 in the first go, split fourth; 64 in the short round, split fifth).
Allen Morse produced points in calf roping, as the junior out of Dawson Springs, Kentucky finished fourth across the board (25.7 average, 10.7 opening round, 15.0 short go).
A trio of cowboys accumulated points for UTM in the steer wrestling event. Jesse Keysaer led the way with second-place efforts in average (10.3), first go (5.0) and short round (5.3). Robbie Van Holten additionally generated points in all three phases, placing fourth in average (13.0), fourth in the opening round (6.3) and fifth in the short go (6.7). In the first round, Chase Thrasher’s time of 6.4 seconds was good enough for a fifth-place finish.
Grace Bryant and Kailey Schmidt each came through with points for UTM in goat tying. Bryant’s 16.3 average and 8.0 performance in the short round both placed sixth while Schmidt’s 7.8 in the second go was the fifth-best time in the field.
UTM dominated the team roping event as eight cowboys accrued points. Thrasher teamed up with Cole Walker to place second in the opening round (7.7), split second in average (16.7) and third in the short go (9.0). Cole Harmon and Carson Stroup were responsible for fourth-place efforts in average (19.3) and in the second round (10.1). Morse joined forces with Tyler Brooks to finish fifth in the short go (12.3) and sixth with a 21.2 average. Justin Sailors and Cody Hogan’s time of 8.1 seconds in the first round was good enough for a fourth-place effort.
Shayne Mallory performed well in barrel racing, as the Miller, Missouri native placed second in the opening go (16.86), third in average (33.98) and fifth in the short round (17.12).
In bull riding, senior Wyatt Hart was one of just five cowboys to record points in the event. He split first with 81 points in the opening go while his 81 average split second.
UTM is back in action next week (Oct. 22-24) when the two squads travel to Magnolia, Arkansas for a rodeo hosted by Southern Arkansas.
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