Casper College Men’s Rodeo team heads into spring season in second place Women’s team continues to improve
The 2024-2025 Casper College Men’s and Women’s Rodeo Team. (Casper College photo)
It was an exciting fall season for the Casper College Men’s Rodeo team as they stand in second place heading into the spring season of the Central Rocky Mountain Region. On the women’s side, the team continues to grow and improve under the leadership of Women’s Head Rodeo Coach Libby Winchell.
The 2024-2025 Casper College Women’s Rodeo team. (Casper College photo)
“(I) couldn’t be happier with the fall outcome, but we are not going to slow down one second until we climb to first place and keep it,” said Sandy Bob Forbes, interim head rodeo coach. “The women’s team is doing good,” said Winchell. “There were multiple girls making it back every short go last fall, including Elli Rettinger, Jaden Mathis, Kenna Stratton, Jean Scott, Morgan Watts, and Maci York,” Winchell added.
The men’s team ended the fall run with 2,433.33 points, just 36.67 points behind the first-place University of Wyoming Cowboys. During the last rodeo held at Lamar Community College, Mathis placed third in breakaway roping, and Stratton took sixth. In goat tying, Rettinger took eighth place, and Scott placed 14th.
“Jaden had a great fall! She made four out of the five short go’s. Ending up third in Chadron, seventh in Riverton, second in Cheyenne, and ninth in Lamar. She is on a young horse that she started in the fall and has worked hard all summer with him, and it is showing. Jaden is in a good spot going into the spring rodeos in third place. If she stays consistent and keeps making it back, she has a really good chance of going to the college finals,” noted Winchell.
The 2024-2025 Casper College Men’s Rodeo team. (Casper College photo)
On the men’s side, in the final rodeo, 14 members of the CC team placed eight cowboys in saddle bronc riding, including James Perrin, first; Malcom Heathershaw, second; Eastan West, fourth; Quanah Glade, sixth; Caiden Gray, seventh; Devon Hay, ninth; and Blain Pengelly and Colten Powell tying for 12th.
Three T-Birds placed in the top 10 in bareback riding: Monte Downare, second; Reece Reder, seventh; and Chase Siemens, eighth. In tie-down roping, Caden Stoddard took 12th. The team roping duos of Clay Helm and Jade Byrne took eighth, and Stoddard and Jace Crozier took 10th.
At the final rodeo, the Lamar Community College Antelope Stampede, and for the first time in the fall season, the University of Wyoming Cowboys did not have a first-place team finish. Instead, that honor went to the T-Birds, who had 603.3 points for the win. On the women’s side, the Gillette College Pronghorns Women’s team continued its win streak and led the region heading into the spring season.
For the spring season, both coaches have high hopes for their teams. “Going into the second half the season, I’m hoping the girls stay consistent, win, and have fun! There are still a lot of points up for grabs, so nothing is set in stone in the standings. In the girls’ events, there are a lot more contestants, so they need to just go make solid, fast runs in the long goes and then come back to the short go, do their job, and have fun,” said Winchell.
Forbes was equally enthusiastic. “We are showing some success because our team is pretty big and we get to run a lot of interference against the other teams in the region. It’s huge to pick a points team that will come to the party and perform, but it’s equally important to defend as many points (as possible) from those other really tough rodeo teams we have in this awesome region,” noted Forbes.
In addition, three cowboys, Perrin, Heathershaw, and Downare qualified for the American Contender Tournament West Regional Semi-Finals in Las Vegas. Those invited to compete had to be in first or second place in their end-of-year standings in the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. The rodeo, held Jan. 9-11, 2025, included professional competitors hoping to qualify for the “Million Dollar” American Rodeo in April. “Vegas was a huge building experience for the guys. We learned where we are headed in the next step of their rodeo career and what we will be working on,” Forbes said.
The spring season will begin March 14-16 with the Pronghorn Rodeo at Gillette College. March 28-30, the team will travel to Torrington to compete in the Lancer Rodeo at Eastern Wyoming College. The season will conclude with three rodeos: April 4-6 at Colorado State University for the Skyline Stampede and the Laramie River Rendezvous April 25-27 at the University of Wyoming. Between those two, April 11-13, the Thunderbirds will host the annual Ropin’ and Riggin’ Days Rodeo at The Arena at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds.