CC rodeo team heading to national finals

The Clarendon College Men’s Rodeo teams is headed to the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo., in June, following their third-place finish at Tarleton State University for their last regular season rodeo last week

With the Tarleton performance, the team earned enough points there and throughout the year to finish as the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Southwest Region Champions and earn a trip to the national contest.

Clarendon also brought home two individual event champions in Cole Franks, Southwest Region Bareback Champion, and Cash Wilson as the Southwest Region Saddle Bronc Champion. Keene Justesen finished in a tie for third place in the region’s final standings to earn a trip to the CNFR as well.

Tarleton short round qualifiers from CC in the bareback riding were Weston Patterson, who finished sixth in the average with a 69-point ride in the long round and 72 points in the short round, and Cole Franks, who made a 76-point ride in the long round and a 79 point ride in the short round to win the average and a shot at winning a Polaris Ranger. He drew the winning key that started it and brought it home with his winnings as well.

Seth Waldron qualified in the tiedown roping with a 9.7 run but had a little trouble in the short round with a time of 20.4.

In the saddle bronc riding, Cash Wilson rode for 66 points in the long round and 76 in the short round, Brodie Roessler was 70 in the long round and bucked off in the short round, Trey Elshere was 78 in the long go and 75 in the short round for third in the average, and Weston Patterson rode for 78 and 84 points to finish second in the average. Patterson also qualified for the short round in the steer wrestling after making a nice 4.3 run in the long round but did not have a qualified time in the short round.

Cole Franks, Cash Wilson, Keene Justesen, Brody Wells, Dawson Gleaves, and Weston Patterson will represent CC at the College National Finals on June 12-19.