Rachel Serrell – Staff Writer
UW Rodeo continues to keep its name on the board after this past weekend competing at Central Wyoming College (CWC).
The men’s team placed second and the women’s team placed first.
Houston Brown, of Broadus, Montana, won the saddle bronc riding event, and Seth Peterson, of Minot, North Dakota, placed first in the steer wrestling event. The UW Cowgirls finished as the top three in goat tying were Jacey Thompson, of Yoder, Taylour Latham, of Roosevelt, Utah, and Faith Hoffman, of Kiowa, Colorado, respectively.
This was the third rodeo out of the five of the fall season in the Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR). The women’s team is ranked first, having acquired 1,238.33 points. This is a 400 point lead against the runner-up team from Casper College. The men’s team has moved up into second overall in the region. Only the top two teams from each region receive automatic invites to next summer’s College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR).
Peterson is leading the men’s all-around title in the region and also claims first place in the steer wrestling event. Peterson, an agribusiness management major, is familiar with the rodeo scene. He was a four-time state champion in North Dakota High School Rodeo, where one of those titles was in steer wrestling.
Peterson said he plans to keep being successful by sticking to the fundamentals of his three events. He attributes his success to not only himself, but his fellow team members and coach, Beau Clark.
“I have been lucky to have such good friends to practice and compete with, that push me everyday to get better,” he said. “Having Beau as our coach definitely pushes us too and keeps our priorities straight.”
But Peterson is not the only UW Rodeo athlete grabbing all around designations. Taylour Latham is leading the women’s all-around in the CRMR. Latham, at the CWC rodeo, placed in goat tying and barrel racing, racking up nearly half the points the women’s team scored. Latham transferred from perennial regional powerhouse Gillette College and was regional champion in goat tying twice.
The UW Rodeo athletes will be competing at Lamar Community College in Lamar, Colorado, for their fourth competition of the fall Oct. 4-6.
