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Texas A&M University cowboy Carson Neal and his bronco are released from the gate in the saddle bronc riding competition during the Southern Region collegiate rodeo in Hopkins County Regional Civic Center Friday night. Neal could not hang on and joined three others with a no score. Staff photo by Todd Kleiboer
Sulphur Springs native places in steer wrestling
When the dust finally settled after Texas A&M University-Commerce’s first home rodeo this past weekend at the Hopkins County Regional Civic Center, the TA-MUC women’s team walked away first overall, while Sulphur Springs native Carson Hicks placed in steer wrestling.
WOMEN’S EVENTS
TAMUC led the way with 550 total points across the rodeo, and second-place Texas A&M University was far behind with 325 points. With this finish, the TAMUC women leapt to first place in theirregion and to second place nationally behind Black Hills State University in South Dakota. For TAMUC, Mia
For TAMUC, Mia Manzanares took first place in goat tying with Paige Dawson of Southwest Texas Junior College and Caxton Martin of Hill College taking second and third, respectively.
Katie Jo Boyd finished fourth in barrel racing, falling just outside the top three of Bryana Lehrmann (TAMU), Mykynzie Bush (Panola College) and Callie Morgan (TAMU).
TAMUC’s Abby Hampton and Whitley Whitewood landed third and fifth, respectively, in breakaway roping. Cassidy Pineda of Trinity Valley Community College and Kasey Kretzschmar of Sam Houston State University finished first and second.
Hampton and her teammate Luke Krolczyk of SHSU won second in the team roping competition. Hampton also took home first in Women’s All-Around for the rodeo in front of Dawson and Kretzschmar.
Manzanares is currently leading the region in Women’s All-Around with her teammate Whitewood in second. Nationally, Manzanares is third, and Whitewood is in fifth.
MEN’S EVENTS
Sulphur Springs native and TAMUC cowboy Carson Hicks managed to land eighth overall in the steer wrestling competition. Rounding out the top three were Gavin Soileau (McNeese State University), Jay Terrell (SHSU) and Kane Key (Trinity).
TAMUC cowboy Trenton Norris and his teammate, Jace Frerck of SWTJC, did well in team roping with a first-place finish.
TAMUC’s Ty Eason finished in tie-down roping at seventh place, and Logan Cook of Panola, Krolczyk of SHSU and Xavier Davis of Wharton County Junior College were first, second and third, respectively.
In saddle bronc riding, Cook also won first place with Ryder Sanford of MCNSU and Parker Fleet of Hill College landing second and third behind him.
In the bull riding competition, L. C. Henning of Wharton took home first place, while Daylon Swearingen of Panola finished in second. Parker McCown of Hill College landed third.
SHSU cleaned up in the bareback bronc riding competition with Kaden Kornegay, Lane McGeehee and Chance Merrill taking first, second and third, respectively.
Cook won Men’s All-Round for the rodeo but currently sits outside of the top three in the region. Zach Jongbloed of MCN-SU, who finished third in the rodeo’s Men’s All-Around, leads the region and is 22nd nationally.
The next Southern Region rodeo is slated for March 13-14 and will be hosted by TAMU at the Brazos County Expo Complex in Bryan.