**For Immediate Release**
Women Kick Off Season
with a Win at Kansas State
-released by OPSU Campus Communications 02-27-2006
by Laura Dahl
Goodwell, Okla. - The men and women
of the Oklahoma Panhandle State University Rodeo Team traveled
to Kansas State University at Manhattan over the weekend for
the first Central Plains Region spring rodeo in the National
Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Brandi Guttormson brought
home the all-around cowgirl title and led the team to a first
place finish with her performances in the breakaway roping
and goat tying.
Guttormson smoked the competition in the breakaway
with a one/two split in the long go and a first in the short
go. Her first place in the average was only .10 seconds ahead
of second place. In the goat tying, Guttormson split third
and fourth in the first round, won second in the short go and
came in second in the average. Adding to the team points, Chancy
Harrington split fifth and sixth in the long go of the goats,
won third in the short go and fourth in the average. Kelly
Koeppen also made the short round of the goat tying.
On the men’s side, OPSU’s Winston
Kusler won the first round of the bull riding with an 82 point
ride, bucked off before the buzzer in the short go, but still
won third in the average as only two cowboys had qualified
rides in the short round. Also in the bull riding, Taos Muncy
split fourth and fifth in the long round and fifth and sixth
in the average, and Chance Murphy also made the short round.
The saddle bronc tradition remains strong as
five OPSU cowboys made it to the short round. Weston Ireland
took second in the short go and ended up fourth in the average,
while Will Payne came in sixth in the average. Dependable Trell
Etbauer was sixth in the first round, fourth in the short round
and took fifth in the average. Jordan Furnish also made the
short round, and Coach Craig Latham said, “Jordan had
one of the best rides going during the short round that I’ve
ever seen him make, but he bucked off right at the buzzer.” Logan
Hodson also made the short round of the saddle bronc.
Brian Leddy made the short go in the bareback
riding and added team points with his performance. Hodson helped
the team out with his 3/4 split in the short round, and Jason
Mansor also made the short go of the bareback.
The OPSU team boasts the 2006 Co-Champion College
National Finals Rodeo Steer Wrestlers, Tyrel Turner and Trell
Etbauer. Both made the short round of the bull dogging with
Etbauer winning fifth in the average and Turner splitting sixth
and seventh in the average.
Etbauer turned in a 9.8-second run in the calf
roping, earning a spot in the short go, but had a no-time in
the short round of that event. The team roping duo of Jeremy
Teague and Clayton Thrall scored a 7.3-second run in the long
go, which placed them fifth in that round, but were unable
to come up with a time in the short round.
“I’m proud of all of them, and
the women’s team did what they needed to do to move up
from their fourth place standing in the Central Plains Region.
We had plenty of cowboys make the short round, but they just
had tough luck,” Latham said. The team competes at Garden
City Community College this weekend and plans are well underway
for the OPSU’s annual Doc Gardner Memorial Rodeo to take
place March 30-April 1 in Guymon.
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