After its successful first year was cut short amidst the wave of pandemic related cancellations this spring, the Central Methodist University rodeo team is back and ready for another season of competition.
In its second year as a participant in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, the CMU rodeo team has a few returning stars, as well as some fresh faces. Returning is last year’s undisputed most valuable barrel racer Kelsi Haller, who finished last year’s fall competition as the second-ranked racer in the region. Also returning are Alena Brach Miller and Tristan Riggs.
Newcomers to the team this fall are Addie Nichols, Madison Steele, Larrya Stegall, Leah Jackson, Kendra Goldschmidt, and Paig Rentfro.
Second-year head coach Amanda Phipps praised her team’s efforts in the first competition of the year, saying, “Our team really shined. I was really proud of them.”
At the Missouri Valley College Viking Stampede, held September 17-19, Central was once again led by Haller, who landed a spot in the short go with a seventh-place finish in the long, then took second in the short with her next run to finish sixth in the average for the weekend. Goldschmidt finished 11th overall, while Jackson rounded out the women’s team with a top 20 finish. As a whole, the team earned sixth place in the women’s competition.
The team will be back in action this weekend, as the competitors travel south for the University of West Alabama Rodeo Showdown.
Follow the team’s page on Facebook for more updates, including videos from the first competition.