The Central Methodist University rodeo team has picked up right where it left off in the fall semester with its first competition of the spring.
Traveling to Meridian, Mississippi, the team took part in the East Mississippi Community College Rodeo from February 20-22. Barrel racer Kelsi Haller continued her outstanding season with a first-place finish in the weekend’s average.
Haller began the competition with a “smoking run” in Friday morning’s slack competition, according to head coach Amanda Phipps. Her time of 14.24 was good enough for second place in the long go, earning her a spot in the short round.
With her third-place short round run of 14.39 seconds, Haller’s average earned the CMU team 150 points for third place overall on the weekend.
“She has really put our school on the map,” Phipps said of Haller, who finished the fall semester as the second-ranked barrel racer in the Ozark Region, a highlight of CMU’s first season competing in rodeo.
The team will continue competition in March with meets at the University of Arkansas-Monticello (March 12-14) and Pearl River Community College (March 26-28).