UW’s Day Ties for First in Goat Tying and Gallagher Second in CNFR Steer Wrestling

Riata Day might not be the biggest goat tyer out there, but she is one of the quickest with a pair of fast hands. Those attributes propelled the University of Cowgirl to atop the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) standings.

After the completion of the first round of goat tying Monday afternoon, the Fleming, Colo., graduate student -- who was third in the Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) regular season goat tying competition -- tied with Tarleton State’s Rayme Jones for the top time in 6.1 seconds. It was certainly a major boost to Day’s confidence after she did not make the CNFR short go a year ago for the Cowgirls.

“I had a good first two runs last year but, on my third run, my horse kind of cut me off and I did not make the short round. I want to change that this year,” Day says. “It felt really good out there today (Monday). It was a good run, I thought. I really got in there quick and I put together a good run; I was just so happy with it.”

Coming into the CRMR spring season, bulldogger David Gallagher had no points in steer wrestling. By the end of the year, he was the regional champion.

That momentum carried over when the Brighton, Colo., sophomore opened his CNFR steer wrestling run, recording the first round’s second-best time, tying with Northwest Mississippi Community College’s Christian Cagle, with both at 4.7 seconds. The pair trail Sam Carson, of Utah Valley University, who has a slim lead at 4.5 seconds.

In the spring, Gallagher changed his approach somewhat, but he just wanted to make a few good runs in hopes of qualifying for the CNFR. He won a couple of rodeos that boosted him to the top of the CRMR standings by season’s end.

“Coming in today, I just kind of had some jitters being here for the first time. I wanted to go out there and get one thrown down,” he says. “Being second right now is great -- a lot better than I ever expected for my first run here. I’m pumped. Hopefully, I get two more good runs in and come back here Saturday.”

The top 12 times and marks from throughout the week will earn competitors a chance to compete for individual national titles Saturday night.

Weston Mills, of Gillette, hopes he’s one of those top 12 competitors. The region’s top team roping header this season combined with partner Coy Johnson, of Gillette College, to wrap up the day’s competition with a 6.4 time, good enough for third place.

Jordyn McNamee has a four-day wait to see if she can qualify as one of the top 12 breakaway ropers. The Cheyenne senior was even better in her second run Monday morning, stopping the clock in 3.1 seconds, giving her a two-run time of 6.6 seconds. Halfway through the second round, McNamee moved up 13 big spots to sixth in the overall average.

But, she knows things can change in a hurry.

“I have a couple of runs out of the way, and the goal this week is to just stay consistent,” she says. “You don’t have to do anything special -- just do what you’ve done all year is good enough. My horse is working well, and I’ve drawn some pretty decent calves. Hopefully, I can keep that up.”

UW’s Kenna McNeill is the veteran on the UW rodeo team in her sixth season of competition. More important, this is her fifth consecutive turn running barrels at the CNFR -- the past two seasons for UW and the previous three for the other Cowgirls of Oklahoma State University.

Her early morning run produced a recorded time of 14.5 seconds to put her 21st after round one with plenty of time to close the gap among those ahead of her. Last year, McNeill, of Hobbs, N.M., finished third overall in the nation, and this season she was the regional runner-up. The UW graduate student says she is feeling no pressure entering her final CNFR.

“Honestly, my goal is just to get three clean runs, keep the barrels up and see how it goes,” she adds. “I was pleased with my run this morning and just so happy to get around all of the barrels without hitting one -- that’s always a plus.”

Other results for the Cowboys and Cowgirls in the first of two slack rounds Monday are:

-- Entering as the second best team roping header in the region, Bodie Mattson came into the CNFR with a new heeler: Roan Weil from Casper College. Mattson, of Sturgis, S.D., and Weil had a 13-second run that was aided by a 5-second penalty when the T-Bird heeler managed to capture just one heel.

-- Mattson did double duty when, earlier in the morning, he competed in tie down roping and secured a recorded time. This season’s regional champion was good on his throw, but was slowed down a bit, taking down the calf and settling for an 11.6 time. At the end of the first round, he is sitting 11th in the average.

-- Saratoga’s Kaden Berger was a solid 7.2 in his opening steer wrestling run. He had a clean dismount but had a bit of trouble taking the steer down when it spun completely around. Berger was second in the CRMR this past season to Gallagher.

-- A third UW bulldogger also competed, but Cam Jensen, of Arthur, Neb., drew a steer that ran immediately to the left along the fence, leaving Jensen no chance of bringing him down. Jensen was the third best bulldogger during the regular season behind his two teammates.

-- Landry Haugen’s first CNFR is not going as she hoped. The Sturgis, S.D., freshman missed her breakaway roping calf for the second straight day.

-- Gillette’s Quincy Reynolds, not on the Cowboys’ points team this week, competed in team roping with Gillette College’s Trevor Sorge, but they came up empty when the Pronghorn header missed the steer’s horns.

-- Another non-points team member also in team roping, Rio Nutter, of Rapid City, S.D., missed the horns, and he and partner Reece Wadhams, of Laramie County Community College, had a no time.