Competing for the third consecutive weekend to open its spring schedule, UTM took part in the rodeo hosted by Arkansas-Monticello.
Both the UTM men’s and women’s team placed seventh this weekend as the Skyhawk cowboys accrued 240 points and the UTM cowgirls posted 15 points.
Three different men’s team representatives collected points in bareback riding. Blake Leamon placed fourth in both average (132) and in the short go (70) to lead the way while Stetson Bierman (fifth with a 68 in the opening round) and Bryce Sifford (split fifth with a 64 in the second go) also tallied points.
In calf roping, Chase Thrasher pieced together points in all three phases as he placed third in average (17.8), third in the opening round (8.8) and fifth in the short go (9.0).
Tyler Pruitt made some noise in the saddle bronc riding event as his 65-point effort in the short go was the best score in the field. He finished third with a 127 average and split fourth after a 62 in the first round. UTM additionally received points from Jack Smithson, who placed fourth in average (123), fourth in the short round (61) and split fourth in the opening go (62).
Two UTM cowboys generated points in steer wrestling. Cole Walker split fourth with a time of 5.2 seconds in the first round before placing fifth in both the short go (5.2) and in average (10.4). Thrasher also split fourth in the opening go (5.2) and finished sixth in the short round (6.1).
Lauren Heck and Shayne Mallory each performed well in goat tying. Heck’s 15.6-second effort in average was the best in the field while Mallory’s 8.0 seconds flat in the first round was good enough to split fifth.
In barrel racing, Madison McFall accumulated points in all three phases, starting with a fifth-place effort (15.24) in the opening round. The Columbia, Tennessee native also worked in a fifth-place finish in average (30.77) after placing sixth in the short go (15.53).
Only three bull riders notched points this weekend and two of those belonged to UTM. Wyatt Hart’s 81 points in the second round was the best score in the event while Walter Smithson’s 76 points in the same go wasn’t too far behind, placing second.
UTM takes a brief break before hosting its 53rd annual Spring College Rodeo at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Pavilion on April 15-17. Action on all three nights will start at 7:30 p.m.
