STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 After claiming the 2025 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Southwest Region title and qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), Tarleton State University\u2019s women\u2019s rodeo team is laser focused on a national title, which would be their first since 2005.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Each member of the team feels like there is unfinished business in Casper after last season\u2019s reserve championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey competed so hard, and the title was right there almost in their grasp,\u201d said assistant head coach Brittany Stewart. \u201cThis year, with this group, a championship is 100% achievable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Tarleton State women claimed eight first-place finishes during the 10-rodeo regular season, earning a regional title and qualifying for the June 15-21 CNFR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of confidence on this team,\u201d said Stewart. \u201cWinning the Southwest Region is a huge accomplishment. This is one more rodeo, one more step to a national championship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A trio of previous CNFR qualifiers from Tarleton State lead as the program competes for its fifth crown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Barrel racers Jordan Driver and Hadley Tidwell, along with goat tyer Tori Brower, all seniors, have made a combined 11 trips to Casper, lending a wealth of experience to the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey were all members of last year\u2019s reserve championship team,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cThey know what it takes and they\u2019re ready for it.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Driver, who also took the regular-season all-around title, finished atop the region\u2019s barrel racers on the strength of four top-three runs including firsts at Texas Tech, Western Texas College and Vernon College. She was third in last year\u2019s CNFR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe hardest part is getting (to the CNFR),\u201d Driver said. \u201cAfter that, we kind of know what to expect. We know the ins and outs. We all have the same goal. In that arena, we\u2019re all on the same page.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tidwell\u2019s third-place finish in the Southwest Region featured first-place efforts at Sul Ross State and Ranger College and a reserve championship at Odessa College. She was seventh last year at Casper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She remembers feeling a sense of pride at being reserve champion last year but still a little let down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe definitely took motivation from that,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have enough experience as a team, and we know we\u2019re talented enough to be champions. We just have to make sure we do our best to treat this as just another rodeo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThat is tough because you work so hard to get here and you\u2019re building up the experience in your mind. You have to put that behind you and take care of business one run at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Brower, who finished in the No. 2 spot in the Southwest Region placed first in four rodeos \u2013 Eastern New Mexico, Texas Tech, Vernon College and Howard College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In her estimation, this year\u2019s strong regular season gives the group a confidence boost heading into the championship scenario.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had a great year. We\u2019re confident because we\u2019re in one of the toughest regions in the nation and we saw the toughest competition at every rodeo, and we know we can compete. We\u2019re ready to come back strong and win.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regional breakaway roping champ Jacelyn Frost and third-place qualifier Kaylie Garza round out Tarleton State\u2019s CNFR roster. Both are first timers in Casper, but that doesn\u2019t mean they won\u2019t have a say in the outcome of the national title chase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBoth of them have pretty good heads on their shoulders,\u201d said Driver. \u201cI\u2019m not worried about them at all. Kaylie is a freshman but she performs like a senior. Jacelyn is a transfer. I\u2019ve seen her in the region the last couple of years and I\u2019ve always admired her. They\u2019re important parts of this team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their coach concurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019re looking to the others for their experience and motivation.\u201d Stewart said, \u201cBut they\u2019re both seasoned competitors with a strong list of accolades.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Frost has taken advantage of her teammates\u2019 experience as she negotiated her first regular season at Tarleton State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEverybody on the team has been helpful,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been great in helping me to focus on being consistent. To keep doing what got me here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOne of the strengths of our team is how close we are. All the girls are practicing together every day and supporting each other in every event. We have a lot of confidence in each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Garza has also leaned into the veterans for support in her first season of collegiate competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey have already been there and done that,\u201d she said. \u201cThey can fill me in on things I don\u2019t know. They ease my mind for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Driver, gearing up for her final appearance for Tarleton State, admits to being driven by last summer\u2019s final standings and is intent on a different ending for 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGoing into the short round last year, we were winning, so to fall short was disappointing. We did well finishing second, but that\u2019s never the goal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe moment we left Casper last year, we knew we needed to get back there and make a statement. We\u2019re going back with a vengeance and the goal of bringing a national title home to Stephenville.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STEPHENVILLE, Texas \u2014 After claiming the 2025 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Southwest Region title and qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), Tarleton State University\u2019s women\u2019s rodeo team is …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":54,"featured_media":53377,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","wds_primary_category":425,"footnotes":""},"categories":[425],"tags":[446,455],"class_list":["post-53376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-campus-community","tag-division-of-student-engagement-success","tag-rodeo"],"acf":{"image":{"ID":53377,"id":53377,"title":"CNFR-Tarleton-State-Women","filename":"CNFR-Tarleton-State-Women.jpg","filesize":315758,"url":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/65\/2025\/06\/CNFR-Tarleton-State-Women.jpg","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/news\/tarleton-state-women-draw-motivation-from-last-years-cnfr\/cnfr-tarleton-state-women\/","alt":"Tarleton State University\u2019s women\u2019s rodeo team is headed to the College National Finals Rodeo, June 15-21, in Casper, Wyo.","author":"54","description":"","caption":"Tarleton State University\u2019s women\u2019s rodeo team is headed to the College National Finals Rodeo, June 15-21, in Casper, Wyo. 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