By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
MARTIN, Tenn. – Plenty of history was made during the 55th Annual University of Tennessee at Martin Spring College Rodeo as the successful three-day event was held at the Ned McWherter Agricultural Complex.
Both the Skyhawk men’s and women’s teams finished atop the standings by wide margins. The UT Martin cowboys accumulated 960 points, 135 points better than second-place Missouri Valley College. On the women’s side, the Skyhawks posted 460 points, which cleared runner-up West Alabama by 155 points.
These results marked the second victory of the season for the UT Martin men’s team and first win in its home rodeo since 2017. Their 960 points were the most for the program since scoring 975 at Murray State on Nov. 21-23, 2019.
The Skyhawk cowgirls picked up their first win of the 2022-23 campaign as their 460 points were the most since recording 480 points at Northwest Mississippi on April 25-27, 2019. It marked their second home victory in the last three years as they also won the event in 2021.
Individually, four UT Martin representatives collected the most points in their event. Emma Kate Wilder swept first-place in all three phases with 180 points in breakaway roping while Jack Smithson (saddle bronc riding) and Jesse Keysaer (steer wrestling) also accomplished the same feat for the men’s team. Additionally, Jasmin Bakri registered the most points in the goat tying events with 150 total points.
Both squads showed out during Friday’s performance round as a Skyhawk won six of the nine events. That evening also included a record-setting effort out of Keysaer in steer wrestling as his time of 3.4 seconds was the best in the 55-year history of the UT Martin rodeo.
Wilder was dominant in her participation in breakaway roping as the junior from Millington, Tenn. generated first-place times across the board (2.3 first round, 2.6 short go, 4.9 average). Her 4.9 average was 1.2 seconds lower than any other contestant.
A graduate out of Springfield, Tenn., Smithson was the top cowboy in saddle bronc riding. He managed back-to-back 83’s in the first and second rounds to give him a 166 average, which was 21 points better than the remainder of the field.
Keysaer’s aforementioned 3.4 was the highlight of the steer wrestling event. The Culleoka, Tenn. native followed that with a 4.2 in the short go to give him a 7.6 average, besting the next-highest finisher by 1.5 seconds.
In calf roping, Cole Walker split first in the opening round, managing a time of 9.5 seconds.
Joining Keysaer in steer wrestling was Cannon Smith, who accrued the second-most points in the field. Smith placed second in average (9.1), second in the opening go (4.4) and split third in the short round (4.7). Walker additionally earned points in the steer wrestling event, finishing sixth with a 7.1 in the first round.
Will McCraw and Walker performed well in team roping, securing the second-highest amount of points in the event. That duo placed second in average (12.4), second in the short round (6.3) and third in the first go (6.1). Keysaer and Smithson also joined forces to dial up a 7.6 short-round time (third) and a 20.8 average (fifth).
The Skyhawk women’s squad came away with plenty of points in barrel racing. Savannah Moran led the charge as she won the first round (13.42) before splitting second in average (27.16) and splitting fourth in the short go (13.74). Allie Sherman also chipped in points for UT Martin as her time of 13.8 seconds in the second round was good enough for sixth place.
The Skyhawks round out the 2022-23 regular season on April 27-29 when they travel to Senatobia, Miss. for a rodeo hosted by Northwest Mississippi Community College.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information