By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
SENATOBIA, Miss. – The 2022-23 Ozark Region schedule wrapped up this weekend as the University of Tennessee at Martin squads took part in the rodeo hosted by Northwest Mississippi Community College.
The Skyhawk men’s team placed second in the standings with 715 points while the UT Martin women’s squad earned 100 points for a fifth-place performance.
Three Skyhawk cowboys managed points in calf roping. Will McCraw tied for the most points in the event after sweeping second-place in all three phases (26.6 average, 11.3 first round, 15.3 short go). Cole Walker placed third in the opening round (11.5) before finishing fifth in both average (37.2) and in the short go (25.7). Cannon Smith additionally split fifth with a time of 12.6 seconds in the first round.
Jasmin Bakri posted team points in the breakaway roping event as the graduate from Knoxville, Tenn. split fifth after a time of 3.0 flat in the opening go.
In saddle bronc riding, Jack Smithson continued his stellar year by winning the average (74) and the first round with the same score of 74 points.
Walker earned points in all three phases of steer wrestling, finishing second in the short go (4.7), third in average (10.6) and fifth in the opening round (5.9).
The pair of Grace Bryant and Bakri each came away with points in goat tying. Bryant split fourth in the short round with a 7.4 before her 14.6 average was good enough to split fifth. Bakri additionally managed to claim points in all three phases, splitting fifth in average alongside Bryant (14.6), finishing sixth in the opening round (7.1) and splitting sixth in the short go (7.5).
McCraw and Walker were rock-solid in team roping, collecting third-place performances across the board. That duo was responsible for a 14.2 average after a 7.0 flat in the opening go and a 7.2 in the short round.
Three cowgirls represented UT Martin in barrel racing, paced by Allie Maxwell. The freshman from Milan, Tenn. was the event winner in both average (28.4) and in the short go (13.88). Allie Sherman split fourth with a 14.53 in the short go while also splitting fifth in the opening round (14.46) and placing sixth in average (28.99). Savannah Moran split fifth after a 14.46 in the first round.
The Skyhawks will now take some time off to prepare for the 75th Annual College National Finals Rodeo, which once again takes place in Casper, Wyo. from June 11-17.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information