Texan Mosaic

by DOM PUENTE//Staff Writer

The South Plains College women’s and men’s rodeo teams kicked off the fall season with the Lady Texans getting their first team victory.

The Lady Texans placed first overall at the Eastern New Mexico University Rodeo, which was held Sept. 21-Sept. 23 in Portales, N.M., opening the season with a positive note.

While finishing 60 points ahead of second-place Tarleton State University, the Lady Texans put up a total of 255 points.

“Our women’s team faired very well overall, bringing back the team win the help of Alex Odle and Jenna Dallyn,” explained Kerry Doster, head rodeo coach at SPC. “Our overall performance in all the events left me pleased with the adversity we faced.”

Sophomore Alex Odle advanced to the short round in barrel racing after putting up a time of 17.41 in the long round of the event. Odle finished with an average time of 35.21 and placed first in the short round with a time of 17.80, finishing the rodeo with 175 points.

Also, sophomore Jenna Dallyn landed herself a spot in the final round of the breakaway roping event after a dominant performance in the first round with a time of 3.2 seconds. She fell short of breaking the barrier in the final round.

Dallyn placed sixth overall while scoring 25 points in the event. She also earned a final-round spot in the goat tying event after winning the long round with a time of 7.9. Dallyn totaled 55 points after her final run in the short round with a time of 19.4, placing ninth overall and finishing the rodeo with the ENMU women’s overall title.

Sophomore Zack Kirkpatrick represented the SPC men in the final round of the tiedown roping event, putting up a time of 10.5 in the long round. Kirkpatrick finished his rodeo performance with an average time of 110.5 to place ninth overall.

SPC’s Cody Huwa paired with Weatherford College’s Taylor Schmidt in the team roping event, finishing with the third fastest time in the long round with a time of 6.9 to earn their spot in the finals. The pair placed eighth overall with an average time of 106.9.

“The men’s team performed well throughout the adversity and conditions early on,” explained Coach Doster. “We have some things that went right for us, but there are also some things that need to be fixed for our next rodeo.”

Both the men’s and women’s rodeo teams are looking to build off their success from last season after having been represented at the College National Finals Rodeo.

As for the Lady Texans, they will be looking to defend their Western Junior College Athletic Conference Championship. In order to accomplish that, the Lady Texans will be looking toward returning sophomores Avery Gonzales, Odle and Dallyn.

Gonzales finished her freshman season ranked 15^th in the region in the breakaway roping event. Odle finished her freshman year ranked 11^th in the final region barrel racing standings, and Dallyn completed her freshman year ranked eighth in the region in the goat tying event.

The Texans ended their season last year with a ninth-place finish in the Southwest Region, but have high hopes of being a force in the race for the conference title this season.

Sophomore Chet Boren placed first in the Southwest Region in the steer wrestling event and advanced to the College National Finals Rodeo last year, finishing 14^th.

Texans Kade Sherwood and Stefan Ramone ended their first year in the team roping event with fifth place in the region and are looking to bring the regional crown back to SPC.