The rodeo team entered and claimed victories at the Missouri Valley College (MVC) Rodeo held Sept. 25-27 in Marshall, Mo.

With the first rodeo of the 2003-04 season under their belt buckles the rodeo team is riding high. Both the men’s and women’s teams have gotten off to an outstanding start.

The men’s team won the rodeo with 275 points over MVC who finished the weekend with 200 points.

The cowboys from UTM dominated the bareback riding, capturing all four places in the long-go. Josh Shackleford won the long-go with a 76 point ride. Close behind him were teammates Matt Bright with 73 points, Witt Ashe with 71 points and Russ Ratzowski with 66 points. The short-go went well for the cowboys, with Shackleford and Bright splitting second place and Ashe taking third. The average was won by Shackleford with 149 combined points. Bright won second and Ashe won third.

Zak Danison, the new Graduate Assistant, had quick hands that enabled him to win the calf roping. Danison went into the short-go in fourth place. After roping and tying his calf in 9.7 seconds he took home first place in the short-go and in the average.

Curtis Griffin wrestled his steer to the ground in 7.1 seconds in the short-go putting him in third place in the round and in the average.

Ty Ferrell teamed up with partner Ben McCloy from MVC to win the long-go in the team roping with a time of 6 seconds flat.

Tyler Fleming and Zach Waggoner won the short-go with a 9.1 second run, this put them in second place in the average.

“Both teams won, and I am thankful for that,” said head rodeo coach John Luthi.

The women’s team won the Viking Stampede with 235 points over the women from the University of West Alabama who finished with 135 points.

Lyndsie Brower was incredibly strong in the breakaway roping and the goat tying. Brower didn't win first place, but she chipped away at the points and places all weekend. In the breakaway roping, Brower won second in the long-go with a 2.6 second run. In the short-go a repeated second place finish was attained. Brower took home second in the average with a combined time of 6.7 seconds. In the goat tying, Brower split fourth in the long-go and placed third in both the short-go and the average.

With three barrels turned tight and quick, Courtney Barnfield won the cowgirls barrel racing. Barnfield placed third in the long-go, and ran the fastest time of the weekend with a 15.48 second run in the short-go to win that round along with the average.

“We are going to have to work hard this season. We have a good attitude and the team is supporting each other, and that's important,” said Luthi.