UW Rodeo Teams Turn Attention to Third Round at CNFR

Even though he took fifth during round two of steer wrestling competition, University of Wyoming bulldogger Cam Jensen was looking ahead at the bigger picture -- how this would help the Cowboys, as a team, in the long run.

Jensen, from Arthur, Neb., was coming off a disappointing no-time the day before in the opening round of College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) competition, but the UW senior returned with a vengeance during Tuesday morning’s slack. He bulldogged his steer in a rapid 4.5 seconds -- fifth fastest of the second round.

“Yesterday, I had a little bit of bad luck. I knew I drew pretty good today, and just needed to get a good go,” he says. “I knew that the steer was going to be good on the ground, and I was just trying to do my best to get out of the barrier and get my hands on him.”

His solid time was important to the overall team production, as the Cowboys attempt to add to their overall points total at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. Jensen says one of his goals Tuesday was to help his team score points.

“Also, it’s pretty awesome to be able to place in these rounds,” Jensen says. “I’m just trying to do my best to compete at the highest level right now.”

Minutes later, teammate David Gallagher, who came into the second round splitting second place overall, had a tougher second steer and struggled to bring it to the ground. He stopped the clock in 9.8 seconds, and he is 14.5 on two head, but dropped to 14th in the average.

“It was a little tougher steer than the first round, but I got him thrown down,” says the Brighton, Colo., sophomore. “I just got to throw one more down to get three good runs and try to get to the short round.”

The third round is shaping up as critical for both UW teams.

Olivia Lay is just happy to be competing at the CNFR. Maybe she should be thinking bigger than that. The Elbert, Colo., junior stopped the clock in 2.2 seconds, giving her a two-round breakaway roping time of 5.7 seconds. Her time was sixth best of the second round, which puts her on the brink of a short-go bid.

Lay, a nonpoints team member this week, is now sixth in the average. She matched her collegiate career best time Tuesday morning.

“I just came out and threw it -- I really can’t believe that I threw it that fast,” Lay says. “This is my first CNFR, and I am just so thrilled to be here. I am happy to be roping against girls who are just as good as I am -- getting to watch them rope, it’s been an incredible experience.”

Several more Cowboys and Cowgirls also competed in Tuesday’s slack:

-- Riata Day is still in decent shape of securing a short-go bid in goat tying despite a slower second-round time. After opening to lead the competition after day one, the Fleming, Colo., graduate student was slower Tuesday at 7.5 seconds, giving her a two-run time of 13.6 seconds. However, it dropped her to ninth in the average in the competitive field.

-- If anything, Kenna McNeill certainly is consistent. For the second straight morning, McNeill, a Hobbs, N.M., graduate student, posted a 14.45-second time in barrel racing, giving her a two-run time of 28.90 seconds. Her combined time is 20th in the average, and she still is battling for a Saturday night short-go bid.

-- Greybull’s Colton Farrow needs to score big in his third and final bareback ride later this week to sneak into the championship round. The UW junior improved from his opening ride to post a 67.5-point mark during Tuesday’s slack to give him 131 points on two rides.

-- Team roping was not kind to UW’s four entries. Weston Mills, of Gillette, and partner Coy Johnson, of Gillette College, suffered a no-time in team roping when Mills missed the steer’s horns. The pair were among the first-day leaders in 6.4 seconds and are 11th in the average.

The event is wide open, with just eight teams out of 52 recording two successful times after two rounds.

-- Bodie Mattson, of Sturgis, S.D., and partner Roan Weil, of Casper College, had a no time after recording 13 seconds the day before and are 25th in the average.

-- Nonpoints team member Rio Nutter, of Rapid City, S.D., and partner Reece Wadhams, of Laramie County Community College, successfully roped their steer in 5.6 seconds, but they broke the barrier, giving them a 10-second penalty. They had a no-time in the opening round and are 28th in the average.

-- Another nonpoints team member, Quincy Reynolds, of Gillette, and his team roping partner Trevor Sorge, of Gillette College, stopped the clock in 7.4 seconds, which follows a no-time Monday, and are splitting 14th place in the average.

-- Mattson saw his chances of reaching the tie down roping short-go appearance fall apart when his calf kicked out of its tie. Mattson, who had a time of 11.6 seconds in the opening round, was even faster Tuesday at 10.1, which would have put him in the average’s top 10, but it was wiped out seconds later.

-- Kaden Berger had a rough steer wrestling run when he couldn’t quite take down his steer that slipped out of his grasp for a no-time. The Saratoga senior earlier recorded a 7.2 during Monday’s slack.