NORTH PLATTE — A bareback rider on the Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team is headed to nationals.
Rowdy Moon, of Sargent, won the bareback riding at the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede in Spearfish, S.D. over the weekend. The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association event was hosted by Black Hills State University.
Moon scored 70 points on his first bronc Friday. On Saturday, Moon had a 61-point ride, but because his horse wasn’t performing as well as it should have been, he was granted a re-ride.
Moon earned 70 points on that re-ride, which gave him the aggregate win by two points over region leader Blake Smith, of Dickinson State University.
With that win, Rowdy clinched a spot at the College National Finals Rodeo.
It was a great turnaround following Moons luck at the University of Nebraska Lincoln rodeo April 15-16. There, a judge claimed Moon missed his horses out.
There are two more rodeos left this season. The next will be in Hastings Friday and Saturday. That will be followed by a rodeo in Dickinson, N.D. May 6-7.
As far as the standings as of April 25th, 2016 the Men’s MPCC team is in third place, UNE is in fifth place, Hastings College men are seventh place and NECTA is in ninth place. In the Women’s team standings NECTA is in fifth place, Hastings College is sixth place, UNE is in ninth place, and MPCC women’s team is in tenth place.
Rowdy Moon is currently in 2nd place in the Bareback Riding with 976 points, George Shadbolt of Doane is in 7th place.
In the Bull Riding, Trey Engel of MPCC is 1st with 529.5 points and Ethan Lesiak of MPCC is 2nd, Keali’i’aukai A K K Kaai of MPCC is 4th.
In the Saddle Bronc riding, Duell Puttergill of MPCC is sitting in 4th place with 445 points and Shane Weber of MPCC is sitting in 5th place.
Thomas Littell of Hastings College is leading the Steer Wrestling with 730 points, Reed Kreager is sitting 3rd, and Bryce Dibbern of UNE is in 5th place.
Reece Weber of MPCC is currently leading the Team Roping Heading standings and Logan Dibbern of UNE is sitting in a tie for third place.
