Hilzendeger Leads Seven Finalists at OPSU

GOODWELL, Okla. – Southeastern rodeo qualified seven back to the finals at the Oklahoma Panhandle State Rodeo over the weekend, with Cara Hilzendeger highlighting the group by winning the weekend in the goat tying competition in Goodwell, Okla.
 
Hilzendeger was one of a trio of SE competitors to make the finals in the goat tying event and did so after posting an 8.1 on the opening round which was good for third in the round.
 
She followed that up with an 8.4 in the finals to finish second in the round and take the average championship for the event.
 
Bailey Witt and Martie Shockley each reached the finals as well, with Witt splitting 4^th/5^th in the long-go with a run of 8.4 and Shockley on her heels in sixth with a time of 8.4.
 
Shockley would slip in time in the finals, posting a 12.8, which dropped her to seventh on the weekend, while Witt went out with a no time.
 
Hilzendeger secured a CNFR qualification with her performance as each event takes the top-three at the conclusion of the season which has one rodeo remaining. She will have a shot this weekend to run down the regional leader who holds a 79-point lead.
 
Wyatt Rogers posted the best men's outing in the bull riding where he scored an 85 on his first ride, finishing second in the long-go. He was unable to make the eight second count in the finals, but was joined in that feat by every finals participant, and thus would take home the second-place finish for the weekend as well.
 
Rogers by virtue of points and points available has secured his CNFR trip in the bull riding and has climbed to rank third nationally heading into the final weekend of the regular season.  Mason Ward is holding onto fifth place in the region while Kolton White is sixth and both are within striking distance of third place which would earn them CNFR berths. Hayden Harris has battled injuries throughout the season, but has managed to rank 15^th regionally.
 
In the bareback riding Dylan Riggins put together a pair of rides for the weekend, opening the event with a 76 which split 1^st/2^nd in the long-go.
 
He closed out the weekend with a 71 on Saturday which was good for fourth in the finals round and put him in second on the average for the weekend.
 
Riggins has also secured a CNFR trip in the bareback and is aiming to lock down second place in the region in the final weekend of action.
 
McKade Wickett and White earned a trip- to the finals in the team roping after clocking a 9.0 in the long-go which was good for ninth in the round.  The duo followed that up with a 16.5 in the finals after taking a barrier penalty, but was still good enough to place fourth in the round and rise to fourth in the average.
 
SE's team roping duo of Laramie Warren and KW Adair are the team's highest ranked pair at 12^th place in the region.
 
Craig Parks clocked a 5.9 in the steer wrestling on his first run which earned him a trip to the finals in 10^th place. He would shave a second off that time and post a 4.9 in the finals to split 3^rd/4^th/5^th in the round and ended the weekend seventh in the average.
 
Holden Myers is currently ranked fourth in the region in steer wrestling and Gus Franzen is in 12^th, but due to the bunching of points, both are still within striking distant of earning a CNFR trip.
 
Back on the women's side Mataya Eklund posted a round-best 2.7 in the breakaway roping to win the long-go, but would be saddled with a no time in the finals which took her out of the running for the weekend.
 
Regionally, Kaycee Hollingback is in fourth in the breakaway with third place well within reach.
 
SE did not make the finals in the tie down or the barrel racing, but Katelyn Hobbie is holding onto fourth place regionally in the barrels with a shot to qualify, while Rush Hodges has a steeper climb in the tie down where he is ranked 12^th in the Central Plains.
 
As a team, Southeastern's men are holding on to third place, with the top two teams in the regional standings earning a berth to the CNFR. Currently just 130 points separate the second place team from the fourth place team, with the Storm sitting just 43 points back of second.
 
The women are mathematically out of the running as they cannot catch third place, but have already secured a CNFR berth for one competitor with two more within striking distance.
 
Southeastern will close out the regular season April 30-May 2 at the Colby CC Rodeo in Colby, Kan.