From OPSU Communications
Sadie Latham
The rodeo teams of the Central Plains Region assembled at Stillwater, Okla., on Oct. 20-22, to compete in the third annual Oklahoma State University college rodeo. A highly competitive weekend, both Oklahoma Panhandle State University men and women’s rodeo teams continued to showcase their talents in the arena and represent Panhandle in the short round.
Randi Buchanan, a Panhandle State senior, was a dominating force in the short round. A Nevada native and all-around hand, Buchanan placed in the top ten in the barrel racing, goat tying, and team roping. Competing in the barrel racing, Buchanan and her horse, Playa, ran the fifth fastest time of the long go with a 16.27 and the seventh fastest time with a 17.64 in the short round. The senior placed seventh in the barrel racing average with a combined time of 33.91.
In the long go, Buchanan composed a remarkable run of 7.8 seconds in the goat tying. She was followed by teammate Sadie Latham with a time of 8.0. Buchanan and Latham went into the short round sitting sixth and seventh, though both experienced some tough luck in the short go. In the team roping, Buchanan and junior Austin Schneider surpassed their long go time of 10 seconds, with a time of 7.3, ensuring them second in the short go, and second in the average.
Schneider was one of the many athletes competing in the short round for the Panhandle State men’s team. He was joined on the roping box side of the arena by steer wrestlers Will Carpenter and Clayton Morlan, as well as tie-down roper, Josh Frost. Carpenter had a run of 6.9 seconds and Morlan was 6.4 to position both athletes in contention for the short go and the average. In the short go, Carpenter, a senior at Panhandle, competed first and improved on his long go time by more than a second, finishing with a 5.2, to total a 12.1 on two. A sophomore, Morlan, finished strong with a time of 5.8 in the short go, and a total time of 12.2 on two. The athletes completed the weekend fourth and fifth in the average. In the tie-down roping, Frost finished in the top ten in the long go, but experienced some tough luck in the short round.
Leading the men’s team in points, freshman Rhett Fox split first in the long round in the bronc riding with a score of 70 points, followed by a short go score of 68 points. With a total score of 138 on two, Fox completed an exceptional weekend and claimed second in the average. Fox was joined in the bucking chutes by bareback riders, Dylan Riggins and Jade Taton, and bull rider, Dustin Martinez. Riggins, a sophomore, scored a 65 in the long go, followed by a score of 62. With a total of 127 on two head, Riggins finished fourth in the average. Taton, a native to Colorado, scored a 52 in the long round, followed by a score of 57 in short round, finishing sixth in the average overall. Dustin Martinez excelled in the bull riding with a score of 63 in the long round, and an even better score of 71 in the short round. Martinez concluded the weekend with a score of 134 on two and claimed third in the average.
With an outstanding finish to the third rodeo of the season for the Panhandle State rodeo team members and the Alva, Okla. rodeo only a week away, the athletes prepare to excel and continue the legacy that is Panhandle State Rodeo.