Rowdy Moon, of Sargent, competes in the bareback riding event earlier this year. Moon is one of four Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team members headed to nationals. (Photo courtesy of JJJ Photo.)
NORTH PLATTE-Four members of the Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo team will compete at nationals. They are: Rowdy Moon, of Sargent; Trey Engel, of Silver Creek; Ethan Lesiak, of Clarks, and Reece Weber, of Valentine.
The team rounded out the 2015-16 rodeo season in Dickinson, N.D. over the weekend. There, Moon placed second in the bareback riding, and Duell Puttergill, of Tryon, got second in the saddle bronc riding.
Kris Rasmussen, of Riverdale, was fourth in the steer wrestling, and Riley Weehler, of Mount Ayr, Iowa, ended up seventh in the tie down roping. MPCC finished fifth in the mens team standings.
The next stop for the team will be the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Associations College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo. June 12-18.
The CNFR is a showcase of the best of the best. More than 400 cowboys and cowgirls compete there every year.
The contestant pool is made up of the top three individuals in each event as well as the top two mens and womens teams from the NIRAs 11 regions. That includes the Great Plains Region, which MPCC is a part of.
Making it to that is like making it to the Rose Bowl, or the Super Bowl, said Dustin Elliott, MPCC Rodeo Team rough stock coach. Its a competition of the elite, and for MPCC to be represented at that level I think it speaks volumes.
Engel is currently sitting first in the regional standings in bull riding. Moon is second in bareback riding, Lesiak is third in bull riding and Weber is third in team roping.
Lesiak is the only one of the MPCC national qualifiers who is a college sophomore. The rest are freshmen.
Its the first time MPCC has ever had four rodeo team members qualify for nationals, and the college was close to doubling that amount, according to Elliott. The final results were so close that many team members fell just short of the cut off.
On one hand, its frustrating because I saw so much more potential, said Elliott. On the other hand, Im ecstatic that were sending four. Thats really positive and shows were making progress as a team. Im super happy about that and am really optimistic about next year.
Winning the region and qualifying for nationals were two of the goals Engel had written down at the beginning of the school year.
The year started out pretty rough, Engel admitted. Eventually though, I started to pick up things from the other guys and got more confidence in myself. As I gained confidence, I was able to make my goals come true.
For Lesiak, making it the CNFR is icing on the cake. Its been an extremely successful comeback season for the cowboy, who last year sustained an elbow injury that required reconstructive surgery and took him out of the game for five months.
This year, my mindset was different, said Lesiak. I just focused on having fun. I think that made all the difference. To come this far and be headed to nationals it feels pretty good.
Weber credits his success to Elliott and MPCC Rodeo Team timed event coach Garrett Nokes, both of whom he said have pushed the team members to hone their skills by competing at the professional level.
I couldnt have done it without them, said Weber. The good pointers Garrett has always had for us paid off. To be able to learn from guys like him and Dustin who have qualified for and been successful at the pro-rodeo level is a great opportunity. I think all of us on the team want to be like them someday.
Moon echoed Webers sentiments, calling Nokes and Elliott relatable and motivated.
Theyre good coaches to be around, said Moon. Its also a good group of guys that rodeo for them. I think we feed off each others successes, and thats probably part of what helped me get as far as I did this year. Im excited to go to nationals. I think its going to be great.
There will be a send-off celebration for the team June 7 that will be open to the public. More details will be released closer to time.
Trey Engel, of Silver Creek, rides a bull at a rodeo earlier this year. Engel is one of four Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team members headed to nationals. (Photo courtesy of JJJ Photo.)
Ethan Lesiak, of Clarks, rides a bull at a rodeo earlier this year. Lesiak is one of four Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team members headed to nationals. (Photo courtesy of JJJ Photo.)
Reece Weber, of Valentine, throws a calf at a rodeo earlier this year. Weber is one of four Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team members headed to nationals. (Photo courtesy of JJJ Photo.)
