**For Immediate Release**
Teams Bring Home Second
-released by OPSU Campus Communications 04-25-2006

Goodwell, Okla. -- The Oklahoma Panhandle State University men’s and women’s rodeo teams both brought home second places from the Fort Hays State University competition held this past weekend.

Six of the ten saddle bronc riders who qualified for the championship round represented OPSU, and three of them took the top three spots in the aggregate scoring. Weston Ireland won first, Tyler Olsen brought home second, and Trell Etbauer placed third. Logan Hodson and Shank Stephens also made the short go. Shibil Davis won third in the championship round of the bareback riding and tied for third and fourth in the aggregate scoring.

Jim Gebauer took first in the short go of the bullriding and placed second in the average. Chance Murphy placed sixth in the average, and Winston Kusler and Chris Wagner also rode in the short round of that event.

Team ropers Cass Cooper and Buster Holland took second in the long round, first in the championship round, and won first in the aggregate scoring. In addition, John Wright and Cody Dees and Brandi Guttormson and Seth Schafer competed in the short round.

The co-champion steer wrestlers from last year’s College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), Trell Etbauer and Tyrel Turner, again proved their versatility by making the championship round of the calf roping. Etbauer tied for third and fourth in the long round, while Turner tied for fourth in the short go and won sixth in the average. In the steer wrestling, Logan Hodson placed fifth in the short go and won seventh overall.

On the women’s side, Guttormson took second in the breakaway roping. Kelly Koeppen won the first round of goat tying and placed sixth in the average. Chancy Etbauer placed third in the championship round and fifth in the average.

For the last ten years, the Fort Hays team has sponsored “Wild Ride,” an additional bronc riding event outside the scope of the rodeo. The cowboys don costumes and stay on the bronc 8 seconds. The cowboy with the wildest ride and wildest costume wins the event. Trell Etbauer won this year’s competition in his reggae outfit complete with sunglasses.

The teams travel to Durant, Okla. next weekend to compete in the last college rodeo of the season in the Central Plains Region. Southeastern Oklahoma State University hosts the rodeo April 27-29, and CNFR qualifiers will be determined following that rodeo.

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