By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARSHALL, Mo. – The University of Tennessee at Martin opened its 2022-23 rodeo season over the weekend as the Skyhawk men’s and women’s squads were both in action at Missouri Valley College.
The UT Martin men’s team piled up 700 points, which was good enough for second place in the standings behind only Missouri Valley College (865). On the women’s side, the Skyhawks accumulated 110 points, which ranked fifth in the field. West Alabama’s 435 points paced the women’s standings.
Cole Walker and Will McCraw each earned points of the UT Martin men’s squad in calf roping. Walker placed second in average (22.2) while finishing third in the short round (10.9) and fourth in the opening go (11.3). McCraw came away with points in both the short go (11.9, fourth) and in average (25.7, sixth).
A pair of Skyhawk cowgirls found success in breakaway roping. Ali Covey performed extremely well in her collegiate debut as the freshman out of Rossville, Ga. placed third in the short go (4.0), split third in average (7.0) and split fifth in the opening round (3.0). Brianna Pugh additionally tacked on points in all three phases, collecting times of 2.8 in the first round (third), 4.4 in the short go (split fourth) and 7.2 in the average (fifth).
In saddle bronc riding, Jack Smithson led the way for UT Martin. The graduate cowboy from Springfield, Tenn. nearly swept top honors across the board, pacing the field in average (146) and first-round scoring (76) while placing second in the short go (70).
Jesse Keysaer generated points for the Skyhawk men’s team in steer wrestling, posting a third-place finish in the opening round (10.6) and a fifth-place effort in average (10.6).
The UT Martin women’s squad saw two cowgirls account for points in the goat tying event. Jasmin Bakri’s 16.2 average was good enough for fourth place while the Knoxville, Tenn. native also finished fifth in both the opening round (7.9) and in the short go (8.3). Emma Kate Wilder also secured a fourth-place finish in the second round (8.2) and a sixth-place effort in average (16.8).
In team roping, the Skyhawk tandem of Keysaer and Smithson posted the best score in both average (17.9) and in the short round (9.4). UT Martin’s Cannon Smith also joined forces with East Mississippi’s Laine Moore to earn points in all three phases – placing fourth in average (21.9), fourth in the short go (14.1) and sixth in the opening round (7.8).
Two Skyhawk representatives took part in barrel racing. Allie Sherman’s time of 14.91 seconds in the first round was the best performance in the field. Meanwhile, Allie Maxwell notched scoring times of 15.13 in the opening round (fourth), 15.41 in the short go (fifth) and 30.54 in average (sixth).
UT Martin goes back on the road next week when it heads to Livingston, Ala. for a rodeo hosted by West Alabama.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information