The WTC rodeo team recorded two first place finishes at the Eastern New Mexico rodeo on Saturday.
Sophomore Jacob Lees won the bareback riding title with a total score of 154 (76 in the long round, 78 in the short round).
Sophomore Colton Fritzlan won the bull riding event with a score of 89, which he secured in the long round.
Sophomore Cauy Pool was second in the bareback riding (150 total points) and sophomore Cullen Telfer finished second in bull riding (86 total points).
Head coach Greg Rhodes said he saw a lot of good things from his team.
“I was really pleased with how we went and performed at our first rodeo of the year. Both the men and women competed in a manner that allows one to be successful in their individual events,” he said. “As long as they keep doing that, I believe each one of them will have the results that they are looking for.”
WTC will compete at the Sul Ross State University rodeo starting on Thursday.
Here are the results from the Eastern New Mexico rodeo:
Bareback Riding: 1. Jacob Lees, 154; 2. Cauy Pool, 150.
Steer Wrestling: 6. Rooster Yazzie, 13.4.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 9. Lachlan Sheppard, 62.
Bull Riding: 1. Colten Fritzlan, 89; 2. Cullen Telfer, 86.
Cross Country
The Western Texas College cross country team had three runners finish in the top 50 at the Texas Tech Open in Lubbock on Saturday.
Head coach James Williams said the weekend rain made the course more complicated, but he said he believes his athletes handled it well.
“The course was a little muddy from a heavy rain from the early morning,” he said. “This was one of our bigger and more competitive meets for the year.”
Both women finished in the top 50 with Lizette Aguilera taking 36th place with a time of 20:47 and Jasmine Rangel finishing 48th with a time of 21:22.
The men were led by Elijah McWilliams, whose time of 27:45 earned him a 22nd place finish. Oscar Torres was 54th with a time of 29:43 and Cristian Sanchez finished 57th with a time of 29:58.
Williams said his team competed well and he expects to see continued improvement from them going forward.
“The ladies responded well for competing against Division I and II schools. Lizette and Jasmine are both freshman, and they are learning how to handle tough competition early in the season,” he said. “Every weekend, the guys’ team has been closing the gap on runners from our region. They come out every weekend running hard and competing, no matter what level of competition we are against. I believe it’s going to be exciting as we get closer to the end of the season.”
WTC is scheduled to compete at the New Mexico Junior College meet on Friday.
Image
Body