By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information
SIKESTON, Mo. – The University of Tennessee at Martin continued its fall rodeo campaign over the weekend as the Skyhawk men earned a second-place finish while the women’s squad placed fifth in the standings at Three Rivers College.
UT Martin’s men accumulated 625 points, only ranking behind Missouri Valley College (960). On the women’s side, the Skyhawks tallied 50 points as East Mississippi Community College’s 495 points sat atop the standings.
In bareback riding, three UT Martin cowboys came away with points. Stetson Bierman managed points in all three phases – ranking third in average (150), splitting third in the opening round (74) and placing fourth in the short go (76). Blake Leamon’s 74 points in the first round was good enough to split third while Weston Hamilton’s 119 average and 66 in the short go each placed sixth.
Cole Walker secured points in all three areas of calf roping, finishing fifth in the opening go (11.0), sixth in the short round (15.0) and sixth in average (26.0). Also picking up points in the event was Will McCraw, who generated fifth-place efforts in average (25.7) and in the short go (12.6).
The Skyhawks garnered an array of points in saddle bronc riding courtesy of Jack Smithson. The senior from Springfield, Tenn. posted the best performance in the field with an 80 in the short round before finishing second in average (150) and fourth in the opening go (70).
In steer wrestling, Jesse Keysaer stood out as his 12.0 average was the best in the field. His time of 5.5 seconds in the short go ranked second while his 6.5 time in the first round was good enough for fourth place.
A pair of UT Martin cowgirls generated points in goat tying, paced by Kailey Schmidt’s 7.5 seconds in the first round that was the second-best time recorded. Lauren Heck additionally came away with sixth-place placements in average (16.9), in the short go (8.7) and in the first round (8.2).
McCraw and Walker posted points for the men’s squad in team roping as their 7.4 seconds in the opening round was the standard.
Holli Covey placed sixth in two phases of the barrel racing event, claiming that spot in average (33.69) and in the short round (16.76).
In bull riding, Wyatt Hart’s 81 points in the first go was the best in the field for the Skyhawks.
Two more fall dates remain on UT Martin’s calendar as the Skyhawks will be dormant until a rodeo hosted by Southern Arkansas on Nov 4-6.
Graphic Courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information