Rodeo Wraps Run at SWOSU Rodeo

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern women posted a third place finish as a team, led by a trio of finals qualifiers in goat tying while Colton Swearingen paced the men's team with a second-place finish in the steer wrestling at the Southwestern Oklahoma State Rodeo.
 
The Savage Storm women are holding third place in the region after the trip to Weatherford, Okla., while the men's squad is in third, just 100 points behind second place.
 
Cara Hilzendeger led the trio of finals qualifiers in the goat tying for SE, and was joined by Martie Shockley and Bailey Witt.
 
Hilzendeger posted a 7.4 on her first run, winning the long go, before coming back in the finals with a 7.9 which was good for fourth in the round and moved her to second in the average.
 
Shockley carded an 8.1 to open her competition which was fifth in the qualifying, but moved down to a 7.5 in her finals run which was good for third in the round and split 3^rd/4^th in the average.
 
Witt rounded out the trio with an 8.2 on her first run to qualify in sixth, and her 7.4 in the finals was the second fastest time of the round and moved her to split 3^rd/4^th in the average.
 
Shockley holds onto second place in the Central Plains region standings in the event, while Hilzendeger is sixth, Hannah Giger is seventh, and Witt is eighth. Jaci McLemore makes for five SE competitors ranked in the top 15 in the event as she holds 13^th in the ranking.
 
The only other finals qualifier for the women was Gracie Roth who reached the finals of the barrel racing after clocking a time of 17.27 to finish eighth in the opening round, but would suffer a five-second penalty in the finals to post a 22.06 which took her out of the average.
 
On the men's side, Swearengin would open the steer wrestling with 5.2 run to qualify third in the long go before matching it with another 5.2 in the finals which was good for second in the round and lifted him to second in the average.
 
He was joined in the finals by Craig Parks who turned in a 6.3 first run to finish eighth in the round before blazing a 4.2 in the finals to win the round and move up to third in the average.
 
Gus Franzen maintains second place in the region in the steer wrestling, while Parks moves up to third and Swearingen jumps to fifth.  Mason Couch rounds out the ranks Storm athletes in seventh.
 
In the bareback riding, Tyler Griffin reached the finals after posting the seventh best score in the long go with a 65.  He would close out the event with a 68 in the finals to finish seventh in the round and the average.
 
Couch would also advance to the finals in the tie down with a time of 12.0 to split 4^th/5^th in the long go, but a no time in the finals would take him out of the competition.
 
Tyler Pruitt would advance in the saddle bronc with a first ride of 66 to split 5^th/6^th in the round, but he too would suffer a no score in the final to drop out of the average.
 
Bryan Moreno joins Pruitt in the saddle bronc regional rankings, as the duo sit 12^th and 13^th, respectively.
 
SE fairs better in the bareback where Griffin holds the number one ranking in the Central Plains, while Luke Thrash is in fifth.
 
Hayden Harris continues to hold a ranking in the bull riding at eighth.
 
McKade Wickett continues to lead the region in the men's all-round competition, and is currently third in the tie down roping standings while also remaining eighth among the region's headers in the team roping.
 
Garrett Elmore is right behind Wickett in fourth in the tie down roping, while Franzen is ranked eighth.   
 
For the women in the barrel racing, Mataya Eklund is currently holding onto 10^th in the region, while Hannah Hughes is ranked second in the region in the breakaway with Eklund sitting in 11^th.