The 2013 College National Finals Rodeo opened Sunday in Casper and hit full stride Monday with the vast majority of the nearly 500 competitors in action during the first of two days of “slack.”
With only 12 contestants in each event during the evening sessions Tuesday-Friday, much of the first and second round action takes place during the slack sessions Monday and Tuesday starting at 7:00 am and running much of the day. Only 12 advance to Saturday’s finals or short go-round.
Hay Springs native David Hinman of Northeast Junior College in Sterling, Colo, continued his strong late-season run and is tied for 1st after the first round of steer wrestling.
Hinman, who swept both rounds at the final regular season rodeo to make the CNFR, took down his steer in an even 4 seconds. He’ll have his second go-round in tomorrow’s slack and his third round Friday night.
The three Chadron State College contestants at the CNFR did well during Monday’s slack as all placed in the top 10 in their events at the end of the first go-round.
Junior Shelby Winchell from Scottsbluff is part of 3-way tie for the lead in goat-tying with a time of 6.2 seconds while Amy Tierney, a senior from Hot Springs, S.D., is tied for 7th in the same event at 6.5 seconds. Winchell placed 3rd last year for Eastern Wyoming College.
Tied with Winchell are Hayden Segelke of Northeastern Junior College at Sterling, Colo., and Jessica Wood of Sul Ross State of Alpine, Texas. Two more cowgirls completed their runs in 6.3 seconds, another in 6.4 and three more, including Tierney, in 6.5. There are 53 goat tiers at the national rodeo
CSC senior Mitch McAdow from Littleton, Colo., sits 9th in tie-down roping with a time of 9.8 seconds. McAdow, who transferred to Chadron this year, was the national runner-up in the event as a freshman at NJC in 2008.
Reese Riemer of Tarleton State at Stephenville, Texas, set the pace in opening go-round at 8.2 seconds, but McAdow was happy with his mark. There are 48 tie down ropers in the competition.
The only “not so good” news for Chadron State entries in the first go-round came during Sunday’s smaller opening day when Winchell did not get a score in the first go-round of breakaway roping on Sunday.
All three of the CSC contestants will compete in each of their events Tuesday, and McAdow will also make his third run during the first evening performance that night.
None of the three will be in action Wednesday. On Thursday night, Winchell will make her third run in breakaway roping and Tierney will compete for the third time in goat tying. Winchell will tie her third goat Friday night.
Eastern Wyoming College team ropers Derek Weinreis and Levi O’Keeffe are tied for 9th while the Lancers’ other duo of Troy Wilcox and Cotey Hanson are 19th. Wilcox is also 22nd in both tie-down roping and steer wrestling with Dustin Daily among those who did not score in tie-down roping.
Chandler Markel of Scottsbluff and the University of Wyoming is 40th after the first go-round in barrel racing.
Black Hills State…which is in a different college rodeo region…has 6 competitors at the CNFR including senior Joey Painter. Painter, the defending breakaway roping National Champion who also qualified in goat-tying, but had no-score in both events.
Her freshman teammates Hallie Fulton and Billie Miller sit 11th and 18th, respectively, in goat-tying while Lindsey Goulet is 28th in barrel racing, Wyatt Treeby sits 30th in tie-down roping, and junior Sam Olson had a no-score in steer wrestling.