STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University’s rodeo teams closed the regular season in style this past weekend, each nailing down National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Southwest Region titles at the 59th Annual Tarleton Stampede.
The defending national champion men, led by a sweep of the top five places in saddle bronc riding, racked up 550 points for second place in their home rodeo.
Tarleton State’s women, who won claimed top honors eight times during the regular season, took the weekend’s top team honors, accumulating 445 points paced by five top 10 performances in goat tying and three in barrel racing.
Cauy Masters claimed the saddle bronc riding championship buckle with top scores in both rounds. His two-head 171.5 featured a long-go best 84 and an 87.5, tops in the finals. Teammate Waitley Sharon was runner up in the event with his 83.5-81-164.5, Coleman Shallbetter third with a 163 total on twin 81.5s, Montgomery Parsons’ 82.5-80-162.5 was fourth and Gus Gaillard took fifth with his 81-81-162.
Roedy Farrell wound up the season with the bareback riding regional championship, bolstered by a first-place 83-82.5-165.5 over the weekend. Taylon Carmody was fifth in the event with a 69-78-147 tally.
Tie down ropers Lucca Alverenga and Brayden Roe were third and fifth at the Stampede. Alverenga posted times of 9.0 and 10.5 for a 19.5 in the average and Roe’s 9.1-11.3-20.4 was good for fifth.
Landris White’s 4.5-3.9-8.4 was second in steer wrestling and helped him earn the regional title while Mason Spain was runner up in bull riding with a 156.5 total on rides of 75 and 81.5 points. Tyce Lacina partnered with West Texas A&M’s Hayden Bass for sixth in team roping with their 6.6-20.4-27.0.
Goat tyer Tori Brower’s 12.4 two-run total included a preliminary round best 5.9 and a 6.5 in the finals. Teammate Kaylie Garza flashed a 6.6-6.2-12.8 for fourth, Brooklyn Balch took sixth with her 6.8-7.2-14, Emily McDeavitt was eighth with a 14.4 on runs of 6.2 and 8.2 seconds, and Hattie Haynes finished 10th with a 6.8-7.8-14.6.
Jordan Driver iced the Southwest Region women’s all-around title in Stephenville. She turned in a first-round best 15.76 on her way to a first-place 31.47 in barrel racing. Rylee Abel claimed fourth in the event with a 31.72 total, which featured a 15.64 in the finals, tied for best in the short go. Balch took fifth with her 15.9-15.93-31.83.
Breakaway roper Sydney Williams was fifth in the average with her 5.8 on runs of 2.4 and 3.4 seconds.The men’s team of Shallbetter, Sharon, Roe, White, Farrell and regional saddle bronc champion Bailey Small, along with the women’s team of Brower, Driver, Tidwell, Garza and regional breakaway roping champ Jacelyn Frost will advance to the College National Finals Rodeo, set for June 15-21 in Casper, Wyo.
A founding member of The Texas A&M System, Tarleton State University is breaking records — in enrollment, research, scholarship, athletics, philanthropy and engagement — while transforming the lives of approximately 18,000 students in Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Bryan and online. For 125 years, Tarleton State has been committed to accessible higher education opportunities for all while helping students grow academically, socially and professionally through programs that emphasize real world learning and address regional, state and national needs.