Franzen, Moyer Pace Storm at SWOSU Rodeo

WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Gus Franzen picked up an All-Around Championship while Avery Moyer won the barrel racing event as Southeastern turned in a solid showing at the Southwestern Oklahoma State Rodeo in Weatherford, Okla.
 
Franzen's performance helped lift the men's team to a third-place finish as a team, while the women finished fourth at the event.
 
Franzen turned in his best finish tin eh steer wrestling where he clocked a 4.5 in the opening round to win the round and advance to the finals. Once in the finals, he added a second 4.5 run which was second in the round and left him tops in the average.
 
He led a total of four SE cowboys to reach the finals in the steer wrestling, with Mason Couch next in line, turning in a pair of 4.6 runs, finishing second in the first and third in the finals to finish second in the average to Franzen.
 
Traden Anderson followed, posting a 5.1 to split seventh place in the opening round before following up with a 5.4 in the finals to place fifth in the round and fifth in the average.
 
Rowdy Nimrod rounded out the group with a 5.1 in the first round to split seventh with Anderson, and followed up with a 6.0 run in the finals to finish sixth in the round and seventh in the average.
 
Franzen moved to third in the regional rankings after the weekend in steer wrestling, with Couch in eighth, Tyler Ravenscroft I 12^th and Anderson in 15^th.
 
Franzen nearly picked up a second event title, turning in a second place finish in the average in the tie down roping. He opened the event with an 11.0 in the first round to finish seventh before posting a 9.9 in the finals which was good for second in the round and lifted him to second in the average.
 
Nimrod would also advance to the finals, but took a no time there.
 
Rodney Jackson remains the highest ranking Storm roper in the tie down regionally as he is sitting sixth.
 
Franzen would add a third trip to the finals as he and KW Adair would post a 6.5 in the team roping to split 4^th/5^th/6^th in the opening round.
 
They were joined in the finals by Garrett Elmore and Rowdy Jones who also posted a 6.5 in the first round.
 
A no time for Franzen and Adair and an illegal head catch for Elmore and Jones would leave the pairs in a tie for 4^th/5^th/6^th in the average.
 
Elmore is the lone Storm roper in the team roping strandings as the seventh-ranked header.
 
Montana Duvall opened the bareback riding with a 65 to place fourth in the round, while Josh Green turned in a 60 point ride to split fifth/sixth.
 
Both would take a no score in the finals, but due to the number of no scores in the second ride both would maintain their finishes in the average.
 
Luke Thrash maintains his second place regional standing in the bareback, while Duvall moved to fourth and Green to fifth.
 
In the saddle bronc event, Tyler Pruitt would turn in a 73-point ride to open his competition, splitting 4^th/5^th, before coming back with a 77 in the finals to win the round and climb to second in the average.
 
The finish helps Pruitt move to second place in the regional standings in the saddle bronc riding.
 
On the women's side, Moyers turned in a 16.95 which was one of just two 16-second runs in the first round, finishing first and advancing to the finals.
 
She was joined in the finals by Hannah Giger who clocked a 17.23 to finish eighth and Mataya Eklund who posted a 17.24 to finish ninth in the round.
 
Moyers would be even faster in the finals with a 16.69 run which was good for second place and earned her first place in the average.
 
Eklund would turn in a 17.71 in the finals, finishing seventh in the round and the average, while Giger would card a 22.16 with a penalty which took her out of the average.
 
Regionally, Eklund holds onto sixth in the barrel racing, with Katelyn Hobbie also splitting sixth and Moyer ranked 10^th.
 
Bailey Witt would lead the way in the goat tying as she won the first round with a time of 7.1 before turning in a 7.9 in the finals which was good for third place and allowed her to split 1^st/2^nd in the average.
 
She was joined in the finals by Giger who posted a time of 7.9 in the first round to split 5^th/6^th, but difficulties in the finals would take her out of the average.
 
Witt moved into first place regionally with the performance while Kayla Earnhardt is eighth, Giger is ninth, and Jillian Presley is 13^th.
 
Baylee Lester led the Storm in the breakaway roping, advancing to the finals with a 3.1 in the first round, but would take a no time there and fell out of the average.
 
Giger is the team's highest ranked breakaway roper regionally at 15^th.
 
SE had no bull riders advance at SWOSU, but does feature Caden Bunch who ranks second in the event in the Central Plains Regional
 
The Storm men are currently second place regionally as a team while the women are third.