RANGELY I The Colorado Northwestern Community College rodeo team returned from Twin Falls, Idaho, March 29 where the team took part in the Rocky Mountain Region NIRA Rodeo. The team ropers stole the show as CNCC freshmen Johnny Pavkov and JD Slagowski took home top honors as the College of Southern Idaho (CSI) Rodeo championship team ropers.
Also placing well were Rhett Nielson and Justin White, who placed second in the first round and third overall.
Other Spartan placers over the weekend were Brendon Beck, sixth in bareback bronc riding, Colton Onyett, fourth in bareback, Nick Chew, fourth in saddle bronc riding and Johnny Pavkov, seventh in steer wrestling.
On the women’s side, freshman Shawnie Stone-Swedberg placed fourth in barrel racing with Teasha Moody placing sixth in barrels and sixth in goat tying. Ashley Farrington continued to rope well in the breakaway roping, snagging her calf in 2.8 seconds in the first round to place sixth.
“The CSI Rodeo is traditionally a very tough rodeo, hosted by the perenially dominant force in the region, College of Southern Idaho,” CNCC head rodeo coach Jed Moore said.
The buckle win by Slagowski and Pavkov marks only the third outright event win by a CNCC rodeo athlete in five years of competition. With their placings, they move very close to the No. 1 spot in the region in the team roping.
Overall, the men’s team placed second for the weekend behind CSI, holding steady in the No. 2 spot in the Rocky Mountain Regional Standings.
The women of CNCC are still improving and developing consistency on the team level and are eighth in the region.
At the end of the regular season, the top two teams in the region will qualify a team (six men or four women) to the College National Finals in Casper, Wyo., in June, Moore said. Additionally, any athlete who places in the top three in the region in any event will qualify individually.
“As of right now, we will qualify a men’s team and have several individuals who are gaining on them,” he said.
As of press time on Tuesday afternoon, no results were available from Moore regarding the CNCC-hosted Spartan Showdown, held at Centennial Park in Rangely on April 1 and 2.
