CNCC women’s rodeo team brings home 2 of 4 event championships

RANGELY | The CNCC rodeo team returned to Rangely on Sunday from the IDSU Bengal Roundup in Pocatello, Idaho, and are celebrating a handful of new school records.
The stars of the weekend were the lady Spartans, who brought home not one, but two of the four event championships, and placed top three in the other two. This was the first time the CNCC women’s team has earned more than one event title in a single weekend.
Freshman Makenah Faircloth won the first round and the average in the barrel racing, as well as second in the championship round and third in the average in goat tying. Placing at the top of those two events also earned Makenah the “top all-around cowgirl” for the weekend. This marks the first time in program history one of our women’s team members has won first place overall in the barrel racing as well as earning all around cowgirl honors.
Two other lady Spartans also had outstanding weekends. Ashley Farrington and Taylor Duzik are fourth year competitors (both completing second degrees at CNCC) and their experience and maturity paid off. Farrington placed first in the first round of breakaway and second in the championship round, her total for both rounds gave her the event title, a first for her at CNCC. Craig nursing student Taylor Duzik placed second in the first round of team roping with CNCC alumni Rhett Nielson. The pair also placed third in the final round and third overall.
The combined efforts of our women’s team marked another first for CNCC. The Spartans topped all of the other schools in the region at the Bengal Roundup to bring home the overall women’s team title with another program record: 545 total points, 300 points ahead of the No. 2 team Utah State University.
Our Spartan Cowboys showed better this weekend at our second of five fall season rodeos. Transfer student Brandon Olson won first in the first round of bull riding, third in the final round and second overall. Freshman Kale Hughson also broke into the event points placing fourth in the second round of saddle bronc riding. Freshman Austin Romans continued to show consistency in the tie down roping placing seventh overall.
The team is preparing to compete at the Utah State University Eastern rodeo in Price, Utah, this Friday and Saturday. This will be the closest collegiate competition for our Spartans this fall. The performances are at 7 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. Saturday slack, and 6 p.m. Saturday championship round.