LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The Men's and Women's Rodeo team is set to travel to Magnolia, Arkansas on Thursday for their fourth Rodeo event of the season, competing in Southern Arkansas' Home Rodeo.
Both the Men's and Women's squad come into this weekend's rodeo red hot to begin the year as the Men carry one win and a pair of second place finishes, while the Women enter off the heels of back-to-back wins at the UWA Rodeo Showdown and the Arkansas Monticello Rodeo.
#7 Men's Rodeo
West Alabama has dominated a handful of events this season and you can add Team Roping to the list after their performance this past weekend at Arkansas Monticello. The trio of
Clarke Gordon,
Tanner Brown, and
Cooper Cowan combined for 490 points, with Gordon and Brown winning the event with a 170 score. Cowan chipped in 150 points as the Tigers look to replicate their performance in Magnolia, Arkansas. Three Rodeos in, Cowan and Gordon are the two best Team Roper Headers in the nation as the Tigers duo rank first and second in the event with 410 and 300 total points, respectively.
Going into the weekend, Brown is currently the Men's All-Around Rodeo leader as he's recorded a total of 485 points this season.
While
Stone Reeves and
Kota Wilhite have been solid this season, UWA's
Gavin Lee has continued to improve as the season's went along. Lee comes into this weekend's event, after putting together his best performance of the young campaign last weekend, registering 110 points in the Steer Wrestling event. The senior is now fourth in the country in Steer Wrestling as he heads into the fourth Rodeo with 180 points in the event.
After their performances in the first three Rodeos, West Alabama's Men's squad is up to a total of 1,745 points which puts them seventh in the country and first in the Ozark Region.
#11 Women's Rodeo
We're three Rodeos into the year and it's clear to say that the UWA Women have caught their stride. After a fifth-place finish in the season opener, the Tigers have bounced back by winning the next two rodeos, registering an eye-opening 780 total points.
Leading the way for West Alabama is
Ashley Henderson,
Sarah Curl, and
Meah Pinter. More times than not, Henderson will be the favorite in the Breakaway Roping event and the same can be said for this weekend. The Graduate easily leads the country in the event with a total of 260 points while only competing twice thus far.
While Henderson has excelled in the Breakaway Roping, Curl and Pinter have shined in the Goat Tying as they rank second and third in the nation with 250 and 225 points, respectively. Pinter comes into the weekend after winning the event in Monticello last week while Curl finished in the top-five with a score 110.
The trio of Henderson, Curl, and Pinter lead the Tigers in points, but
Sydney Poole has also put the country on notice as she sits in second, behind Henderson, in the Breakaway Roping with 203 total points.
With their recent success, Women's Rodeo has shot up the standings as they enter the weekend at No. 11 in the rankings and first in the Ozark Region.
The Southern Arkansas Rodeo is set to begin on Thursday at 7:00 p.m., before concluding on Saturday night.
