OPSU Rodeo Team Hangs Strong Coming Into Home Stretch Submitted by OPSU Rodeo Team Hays, Kan. – Throughout the years, collegiate cowboys and cowgirls have had to endure a variety of weather extremes during the annual Fort Hays State University Rodeo. For the 2014 edition, the wind made its presence known for the entirety of the weekend. Luckily, the athletes of the Oklahoma Panhandle State University Rodeo Team are acclimated to the gusty conditions and were able to excel in the Kansas breeze. The mens team took the championship by nearly 200 points while the women missed the first place slot by a slim five-point margin. As no stranger to the winners circle, Shade Etbauer led the mens side with solid performances in both the saddle bronc riding and the calf roping. Etbauer won the long round of competition in the tie down roping. However, a hard-running calf caused the all-around champion difficulty in the short go. Still, he redeemed himself at the bucking chute end of the arena with a standout performance in the saddle bronc riding. Etbauer placed second in the long round, split first place of the short go and was the weekend champion when the average points were totaled. Caleb Bullock also qualified for the championship round of the tie down roping. Unfortunately, Bullocks calf kicked free before the required six-seconds. Joining Etbauer at the top of the leader board in the saddle bronc riding was Nat Stratton. The Florida cowboy has made excellent bronc rides all semester, and his performance in Hays was no exception. He split first place in the short round with Etbauer and placed second overall. Joe Harper finished fifth/sixth in the average as well. In the bareback riding, two Panhandle State cowboys duplicated each others scores all weekend. Orin Larsen and Logan Glendy split second and third in the long go, third and fourth in the championship round and second and third in the average race. Wesley Cole also placed sixth in the long round. Joe Frost is trying to claim the regional bull riding championship once again and his performance in Kansas helped the Utah talent inch closer to his goal. Frost won the long round and the average for the weekend. Jeff Bertus also crept higher in the standings with his second place finish in the long go of competition. Lucas Phillips and Connor Stephens qualified for Saturday nights championship round in the team roping while Dusty Moore earned his spot in the steer wrestling. The women of OPSU are making a run at a College National Finals Rodeo team qualification as they continue to close the gap on second place. Leading the ladies in her home state was Kashly Schweer in the breakaway roping. After coming back to the championship round in the last slot, Schweer posted the fastest time of the weekend with a 2.8-second run during Saturday nights performance. She not only claimed first place of the short go, but jumped to first in the average as well. Mercedes Trenary had the quickest time of the long go with teammate Alex Micek directly behind in second place for the initial round of competition. However, the cowgirls had difficulty Saturday night. Laremi Allred made a great leap in the goat tying as well. Her fast 7.9-second run in the short go was good enough for first in the round and moved her to third in the average. Samantha Foos was close behind in fourth place overall. The final tallies for the Central Plains Regional race are just days away, but the cowboys and cowgirls have one last stop on their schedule. The race to the CNFR will conclude in Guymon at the Henry C. Hitch Pioneer Arena April 24-26. Performances will be held Thursday and Friday evening at 7 p.m. and the championship round will be Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. Several Panhandle State athletes will be vying for the chance to cash their ticket to Casper, Wyo., in June. For admission to the annual Doc Gardner Memorial Rodeo, purchase a Ts for Those in Need shirt from the Ropeman in Guymon for $20. The proceeds from admission will go to local charities and members of the Panhandle community with medical needs. Tickets will also be available at the gate for $10/performance. Children 12 and under are free for all the rodeo action.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Apr 2014 19:33:29 +0000
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