Mesalands Women’s Rodeo Team finishes fourth at nationals

June 18, 2012

The Mesalands Community College Rodeo Team was well represented at the 2012 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper, Wyoming, June 10-16, 2012. Seven freshmen and three sophomores competed for Mesalands during the eight day event at the Casper Events Center. The Women’s Team finished in fourth place with 295 points and brought home the 2012 CNFR Rookie of the Year Title. The Men’s Team finished 27th in the nation with 125 points. 

This was the first year Mesalands qualified a Women’s Team to compete at nationals and had more than one female representative. Freshman Macy Fuller from Clarkston, WA competed in three events, goat tying, breakaway roping, and team roping. Fuller finished second in the goat tying event and was named the 2012 CNFR Rookie of the Year.

“The Women’s Team did very well. We were close to having every member of the Women’s Team compete in the championship round,” Coach C. J. Aragon, Intercollegiate Rodeo Coach at Mesalands said. “Some of the guys were a little disappointed by their performance at nationals. It just makes them hungrier to do better next year.”

Bareback Riding: Sophomore Fran Marchand-Orozco, from Omak, WA, competed in three events at nationals, bareback riding, saddle bronc riding and bull riding. He had a hard time during the competition after getting hurt during one of his performances. In bareback riding, he had a no score in the first go-round, but improved in the next three rounds earning points of 62.5 and 69.0. He finished 26th in the nation.

Tie Down Roping: Freshman Jordan Minor, from Navasota, TX, competed in tie down roping. He had a no score in the first go-round, and finished the next rounds in 8.3 seconds and 9.6 seconds. If Minor would not have missed his first calf, he would have had a shot at the championship round. He earned 70 points during the competition and ended the season 26th in the nation. Kit Pettigrew of Ft. Sumner, NM competed in tie-down roping as well. 

Breakaway Roping: Bailey Bates from Mexican Springs, NM competed in breakaway roping at the 2012 CNFR. She earned a no score in the first go-round, and completed the next two rounds in 2.5 seconds and 3.0 seconds. She missed competing in the championship round by only a .10 of a second. Bates finished the season 13th in the nation. Fuller also competed in breakaway roping. She finished the first go-round in 3.1 seconds and received a no score for the next two rounds.

Saddle Bronc Riding: Marchand-Orozco advanced to the championship round in saddle bronc riding. He earned 71 points in the championship round finishing in second place in the round, and ended the season sixth in the nation. Teammate Christian Stremler from Winnemuca, NV also competed in saddle bronc riding. Stremler was close to competing in the championship round when his saddle broke in the third go-round. He finished the season 21st in the nation.

Steer Wrestling: Sophomore Chase Massengill from Pojoaque, NM competed in steer wrestling at nationals and did advance to the championship round. He finished 10th in steer wrestling for his first time at nationals. Hayden Moore of Melrose, NM, also competed in steer wrestling.

Goat tying: Fuller finished the first go-round in 6.7 seconds, the second go-round in 7.1 seconds, and the third go-round in 6.5 seconds in goat tying. Her final championship performance was completed in 6.5 seconds. She earned a total of 225 points in the goat tying event, finishing second in the nation.

Team Roping: Fuller and fellow teammate Daniel Munoz-Baeza from Chihuahua, Mexico received a no score in three rounds and finished 35th in the nation.

Barrel Racing: Sophomore Shelby Rita from Sunset Beach, HI took 13th in barrel racing with runs of 14.68 seconds, 14.42 seconds, and 14.42 seconds. Rita was only .03 of a second away from competing in the championship round.

Bull Riding: Marchand-Orozco had a no score in all three rounds and finished 18th in the nation in bull riding.

The Mesalands Community College Rodeo Team will host their on-campus Grand Canyon Regional Rodeo at the Quay County Fairgrounds, October 12-13, 2012.