Promising CSC rodeo team opens season this weekend

Chadron State’s annual rodeo will be the following weekend, Sept. 19-21.

Luper said this year’s team is promising, but he admits the women may have a difficult time matching last year’s success. Most teams would.

The 2013-14 CSC cowgirls finished second in the Central Rocky Mountain Region standings by fewer than 12 points and then earned the reserve champion honors at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper in June.

The national ranking is the highest ever by a CSC rodeo team. Two of the five members of that team—goat tiers Shelby Winchell of Scottsbluff and Amy Tierney of Oral, S.D.—have expended their collegiate eligibility.

Winchell was the regional goat tying champion and tied for second at the national rodeo. Tierney placed third in region and earned points at nationals.

The good news is, the three remaining members of the national team have returned. They are another goat tier, Shaylee Hance of Circle Mont., and barrel racers Amy Deichert of Spearfish, S.D., and Katie Loughran of Broken Bow.

Like the two seniors, each of them also earned points at the finals rodeo to help CSC finish second in the nation. 

Hance finished second in the region last year, just 15 points behind Winchell. In 2012-13 when she was attending Central Wyoming College, Hance was the regional goat tying champion and placed fourth at the national rodeo.

Deichert was fourth in the region and fifth at the national rodeo in the barrels last year. Loughran was seventh in the regional standings and placed fourth in a go-round in Casper.

During the summer, Loughran’s colorful paint gelding, Blow the Smoke, had to be retired because of a front leg problem. She has replaced him with a six-year-old mare, but admits it may be a while before Misty can circle the barrels as fast as Blow the Smoke could.

The women’s team, which has 19 members, also includes seniors such as Danni Jo Hinman of Hay Springs, whose specialty is breakaway roping, and Kaycee Werdel of Chadron, who is often competitive in both breakaway roping and barrel racing.

Sophomore Brooke Nelson of Philip, S.D., placed in the breakaway roping at several rodeos last year.

In addition, the women’s roster includes sophomore Cassidy Kruse of Gillette, Wyo., who attended Odessa College in Texas last year after winning many honors while she was in high school, and nine freshmen. Since Kruse is a transfer, she will not be eligible until the fourth rodeo this fall, Luper said.  

The CSC men’s team graduated seven of last year’s members, but has added a couple of veterans who could take up much of the slack, Luper believes. They are Jeff Cover, who is from the Hyannis area, and Wyatt Clark, whose hometown is Wellfleet, Neb. Both will ride broncs and enter the roping events.

Clark finished second in the Central Rocky Mountain Region’s bareback standing in 2013-14 when he was a senior at the University of Wyoming. He is getting another year of eligibility since he has enrolled in graduate courses at CSC and is helping coach the team. 

Cover has transferred from Oklahoma Panhandle State, where he spent last year after previously attending Casper College.

Among those who have returned after at least reaching the finals at several rodeos last year are Lane Day of Bartlett, Rolly Fortune of Wall, S.D., Jake Kasselder of Erickson, Nate McFadden of Dunning, Derek Powers of Arthur and Jonathan Royle of Central City.   

The fall schedule:

Sept. 12-14—at Central Wyoming College, Riverton; Sept. 19-21—Chadron State College; Sept. 26-28—at Sheridan College; Oct. 3-5—at Lamar, Colo., College; Oct. 10-12—at Laramie County Community College, Cheyenne, Wyo.