OPSU Communications
Erika Chartrand
ALVA — Oklahoma Panhandle State University women’s Rodeo Team took charge this weekend at the Northwestern Oklahoma State University college rodeo in Alva, Okla. The women won the rodeo with an impressive 420 points, giving them a 170 point lead on the next team. The men’s team finished third. Both teams ended the fall semester rodeos on a good note and are eager to start the spring rodeos.
Alva’s college rodeo arena is by far one of the trickiest arenas to run barrels in due to its very narrow width and tiny barrel pattern. This didn’t stop Shay Spitz from having a very successful weekend. Spitz made it back to the short round with an excellent run and made an even more spectacular winning run in the short round with the fastest time of the whole weekend 12.43 seconds.
Panhandle State cowgirls dominated the breakaway roping taking both the championship title and the reserve title. Hagen Brunson won second place in the long round with a solid time of 2.5 seconds. Brunson then proceeded to tie for first and second place in the short round with a time of 2.8 seconds giving her the 2017 Breakaway Champion title. Panhandle State partner Baylee Henderson also had an impressive weekend in the breakaway roping. Henderson was third in the long round with a time of 2.8 seconds and equaled her time and her teammate Brunson in the short round. Henderson’s consistent fast runs gave her the Reserve Breakaway Champion title. Panhandle State’s Bridget Merrigan joined her teammates in the short round of the breakaway.
On the men’s side, Panhandle State was once again very present in the saddle bronc riding. Four men came back in the short round. Jake Finlay was one of the four men representing the Panhandle red and blue in the short round. Finlay won the short round with a 79 point score, which tied him for the first and second place in the aggregate race. Chance Barrass won third place in both the long round and the short round placing him third in aggregate race. Dawson Hay won the long round with a score of 78 points but didn’t have any luck in the short round. Also present in the short round was Dawson’s brother Logan Hay.
Also in the bucking chutes, bareback rider Will Martin had another successful weekend. Martin placed third in the long round with a score of 70 points and second in the short round with a score of 72 points. Martin earned second place in the aggregate race.
On the timed event side of the arena, Dillon Sonderegger made two good runs in the tie-down roping. Sonderegger had a time of 11.2 seconds in the long round and 11.8 seconds in the short round. Unfortunately, it was a very competitive weekend of tie-down roping and his times did not place him in the aggregate.
Three Panhandle men made it back to the short round in the team roping. Luke Meier and Tanner White made it back in the short round with a time of 7.3 seconds. Also in the short round was Riley Lane with his partner Britten Wallace from Oklahoma State University.
The fall semester rodeos have come to an end and Panhandle State should be proud of all they accomplished. Be ready to support your rodeo team next spring, as they will be practicing hard until then to come back just as strong and determined to win.