Western Texas College Rodeo Team Continue its Winning Tradition 13 National Champions 2 National Champion Teams 2 Reserve National Champion Teams 15 Teams in the Nation s Top 5 WTC "Aussie" Cowboy Featured on College Rodeo Magazine Cover Dave Appleton, a member of the Western Texas College men s rodeo team, was featured on the cover and in a feature story in College Rodeo Magazine. Appleton, a native of Clermont, Queensland, Australia, may very well be the only `Aussie riding on the college circuit today, the magazine states. In 1980, Dave was runner-up All Around Cowboy in the Southwest Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, taking second
in saddle bronc riding and third in bareback riding. At the 1981 College National Rodeo, he took fourth place in saddle bronc riding and finished fifth in the nation in that competition. Later, Appleton finished second in bareback riding in the Southwest Region, fifth in the saddle bronc standings, and third in men s all around. Western Texas Tops in '86 Western Texas College didn t just ride off with the men s title, it stormed away with the 1986 crown behind a stellar performance during the championship go-round on the last night of the CNFR. Western Texas rolled up 500 points on the final day of the rodeo to finish with 754.5, way ahead of runner-up West Hills College. Westerners Successfully Defend Regional Title Defending College Finals men s champion, Western Texas College had to fight off a challenge from Tarleton State University to win the Southwest Region title this season. Western Texas rolled up 1,445 points to edge Tarleton by 27 ½ points. Odessa College and Sul Ross State were within 300 points of the leader. The women s Southwest Region team race was even closer as Texas Tech University edged Eastern New Mexico University by a mere five points, 875-to-870. Regional Champion Calf roping honors went to WTC s Johnny Hudson. Kyle Leads Western Texas to 7th Place at National Finals Rodeo BOZEMAN, Mont. Western Texas College s Kellie Kyle ran a 14.3 in the barrels here Saturday to place fourth in the short go-round and the average of the College National Finals Rodeo. Kyle s effort placed her seventh in the final national barrel race standings, and gave WTC s women s team an equal seventh place at the CNFR here. The finish was the highest by a junior college in the women s division. I really felt good about (the WTC teams) making it to the finals but I was disappointed at how we did at the finals, to say the least, said WTC Coach, Bob Doty. We have a good chance next year to take our girls back, but it will be tough to get the guys back. I feel that way every year at this time though. They sort of count us out every year but we seem to come through.
Coach Doty expects his three-member finals team of Kyle, Canita Cass and Judy Cox to return to WTC next season, as well as Regina Begay, Nixie Brewster and Tina Morris. College Men Continue Winning Streak WTC competed at Sul Ross in Alpine Oct. 2, and the men came away with their second first place team win of the season. The men dominated the field with a point total of 325. Second place went to Tarleton State University with some 156 points. WTC s Branden Mayberry of Queen Creek, Ariz. was named All-Around Cowboy with 125 points. In bull riding, he was tied for the highest point total in the long go with 82 score. He finished second in the average with a combined total of 148. For bareback riding, Wes Stevenson of Kaufman led all competitors with an average of 152 with scores of 60 in the long-go and an event high of 76 in the short-go. Another first in the average was turned in by Houston Hutto of Del Rio in the calf roping. He finished in second place in both the long- and short-o, but his combined time was good enough to win the average. His times were 8.8 and 9.5 seconds, for a winning average of 18.3 seconds. In saddle bronc riding, Rawley McFarland of Prescott, Ariz. led the competition in both rounds and the average. WTC Rodeo Members Land Academic Honors Eight WTC students have been nominated for the 2000 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association s Academic All-American Program.
Casey Baize, Ryan Brewer, Brandie Brock, Terra Bynum, Jill Childers, Sequin Downey, Luke Richards, and Wes Stevenson are among the sophomore students recognized. Of the 103 students nominated from the region, 21 are current or former students of WTC, says WTC Rodeo Coach Greg Rhodes. This is the first year that they ve done this, so we don t know a lot of the details, adds Rhodes. To be nominated, a student must qualify in a specific NIRA event: bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing, goat tying, breakaway roping, men s all-around, or women s all-around. They must have a cumulative 3.0 GPA or better on a 4.0 scale for 36 semester hours or three semesters of college course work. They must have participated in at least one full season of college rodeo and ranked regionally in the top five or top 30 percent of those with points in the event nominated at the end of the 1999 season or ranked regionally in thee top two of those with points in the All- Around at the end of the 1999 season. All nominees must submit two 3x5 photos, an official copy of their college transcript, and two letters of recommendation. The winners will be recognized at the college rodeo finals through the media s national coverage, concludes Rhodes. This is a great honor for them, he said. It takes a lot of work to succeed in athletics and in the classroom. We have eight nominees, plus of all the people nominated from the Southwest Region; 25 percent of them were students at WTC within the past two years. That says a lot about WTC and its programs. Sequin Downey Jill Childers Brandi Brock
Not Pictured: Casey Baize, Ryan Brewer, and Terra Bynum Luke Richards Wes Stevenson Western Texas College Rodeo Duo Recognized for Academic Excellence WTC s Jennifer Freeland and Sam Spreadborough advanced to the College National Finals Rodeo in June on the strength of their performance in the arena. But the awards they brought back were based on their efforts in the classroom. Freeland and Spreadborough received two of the six U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Co. Scholarship Awards presented at the national finals in Casper, Wyoming. The scholarships are given annually to deserving students who display high standards in the rodeo arena and the classroom. This is great for us to have two team members receive these scholarships when there were only six given out, said WTC coach Greg Rhodes. Jennifer and Sam deserve It. They work extremely hard at everything they do. Freeland completed her final year at WTC, while Spreadborough is a sophomore this year. Westerners Poised to Grab National Crown CASPER, Wyo. The Western Texas men are in the driver s seat at the College National Finals Rodeo. Now the Westerners have to hold off Southern Idaho in the home stretch.
Western Texas is in position to claim its first national rodeo title in recent years. In the women s race, the Lady Westerners maintained their fifth place position. Oklahoma State s women had 305 points to lead the standings. Breakaway roper Tibba Smith will be the Lady Westerners lone representative in the final round, while four WTC men advanced to the short round. The Westerners will be led by calf roper Houston Hutto who looks to defend his national title from a year ago. Joining Hutto in the short go will be saddle bronc rider J.W. Todd, bareback rider Trevor LaValley and bull rider Sean Willingham. As close as this race is, things won t be decided until the final rider in Saturday night s short round. After holding the lead at the College National Finals Rodeo for one day, the Western Texas men slipped into second place Thursday night. But the Westerners aren t worried, because as close as this race is, things won t be decided until the final rider in Saturdays night s short round. Houston Hutto, who hasn t roped since Tuesday night, held onto his overall lead in the lead in the calf roping, with teammate Joseph Gernetz due up tonight. J.W. Todd is also on tonight s draw sheet in the saddle bronc competition, and could move into the top three with a ride similar to his first two. Barrel racer Kassie Mowry is currently 10th, and has a shot to advance to the short go if no more than two riders move up in the standings tonight. The top 12 competitors in each event qualify for the finals. Break-away roper Tibba Smith is in a similar position in ninth place. WTC Women Capture Championship Casper, Wyo.- With a secure lead in hand since the first day of competition, Saturday s final round of the College National Finals Rodeo was simply a coronation for Western Texas College. Western Texas captured its first women s national title Saturday, lapping the field to
win by 290 points. The Lady Westerners finished in the top 10 in all three individual events, anchored by Jamie Standifer who claimed the women s all-around crown. It was a pretty dominating performance, said Coach Rhodes, we got off to a good start, and just kept building from there. In the men s competition, Western Texas jumped from ninth place when the final round began, all the way to fourth in the overall standings, thanks to the performances of Houston Hutto and Rawley McFarland. Hutto, a freshman from Del Rio, posted a time of 8.3 seconds to share first place in the finals of the calf roping and secure first place in the overall standings. It was the third consecutive year that a WTC competitor captured a national title. Tona Wright nabbed a crown two years ago, before Jill Childers won last year s goat tying event. McFarland, another freshman, grabbed a share of third place in the finals of the saddle bronc with a score of 74. The ride propelled McFarland into the runner-up spot in the overall standings. Those two guys did a great job in the final round, said Rhodes. There were teams that had more guys in the finals, but they didn t do as well. We only had two team members advance to the short round, but we still went from ninth place to fourth. So I m really proud of the way they performed. As for the Lady Westerners team title, Standifer anchored the effort. The freshman from Colbert, Okla. tallied 300 of WTC s 730 points to capture the all-around crown. In the barrel racing finals, Standifer was fourth with a time of 16.01, giving her second place in the average. Jamie just kept getting better and better as the season went on, Rhodes remarked. She never got frustrated. She kept going at it and everything fell into place for her. Standifer wasn t the only Lady Westerner to turn in a top performance on Saturday. Tibba Smith s time of 2.7 was the fastest in the finals of the breakaway roping, pushing her into sixth place in the overall standings. Jill Childers managed to finish sixth in the average. Western Texas was one of only two schools to finish in the top-five in the men s and women s standings. In the three years Rhodes has been at WTC, the school has produced 17 regional champions, including individual and team crowns. That says a lot about our program, said Rhodes. There s probably less than a handful of schools in the nation that can say they ve produced that many champions
over the last three years. Hudson Wins Calf Roping Championship BOZEMAN, Mont. Johnny Keith Hudson of Paradise, Tex., won the national championship in calf roping at the 37th annual College National Finals Rodeo. A freshman at Western Texas College at the time, Hudson tied for first in the final g-round with Glyn Hutto of Sul Ross State University with a 10.8 run. Western Texas College won the men s team title over West Hills College, 754.5-508.5. Hudson earned enough points to move from ninth position on the season into first. I thought I had a good chance if I tied my calf quickly, Hudson said, and I guess good luck came through. Team Members Volunteer Time to Help Kids with Special Needs
The Exceptional Rodeo is held annually in conjunction with the Intercollegiate Rodeo. Over 40 students from the community with special needs, participate in rodeo activities, assisted by rodeo team members. The event has been very popular with all who participate. Coach Greg Rhodes Rodeo Coach Greg Rhodes knows from experience what it takes to be a winner on the rodeo circuit. Coach Rhodes was a Bull Rider in the PRCA for six years where he consistently finished in the top 25 in the world standings. He pointed out that, There is a certain attitude that goes with being the best, and that is what I try to instill in my students. Greg expressed great pride in the WTC rodeo program. There are only a handful of other programs in the nation that can compare with WTC. I took over from Bob Doty who had a great program and I just want to continue that tradition.