SENATOBIA, Miss. - After their performances at the Northwest Missouri CC Rodeo this weekend, the University of West Alabama Women's Rodeo team have won the Ozark Region Championship while the Men's Team are the Reserve Champions.
In this weekend's event, the Men's Team's picked up 340 points while the Women's Squad accumulated 115 to secure a pair of Championships. After this weekend's results, both teams now qualify for the 2025 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Assembly Finals which will take place in Casper, Wyoming, beginning on June 15.
"It was a historical year," said head coach Daniel Poole. "There was a lot of unknown going into the final rodeo. Our team stood beside each other & embraced the pressure, allowing us to bring home 6 of the 12 Region saddles."
On the Women's side, UWA is crowned as the 2024-25 NIRA Champions in the Ozark Region as the Tigers finish with a total of 2,194.33 points. The leaders of West Alabama's squad, Sydney Poole and Ashley Henderson, took home their well deserved hardware after a standout campaign. With her 708.33 overall points this athletic year, Poole is officially the Ozark Region All-Around Champion. The junior finished above her competition, closing out the regular season with a 30-point lead for first place. Poole also finished within the top-three in the Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing events, closing with 420 and 288.3 points, respectively. While being recognized as the best overall Cowgirl in the Region, Poole's horse, Pac-Man, also was named the Horse of the Year to put another feather in the cap for the Tigers.
As for Henderson, she claims the Breakaway Roping Championship. The graduate student excelled in the event all year long, finishing with 540 total points which stands as 220 more points than the Region runner up.
"Coach Brown & Coach Ladner deserve as much credit as anyone," Poole continued. "I tend to get the pat on the backs for our success when truly it was those two behind the scenes making it all happen."
For the Men, Tanner Brown remains one of the best Cowboys in the country and further proved that this weekend. Brown, along with Clarke Gordon, won the Team Roping event, accumulating 160 points as the Heeler to stamp his name as the All-Around Cowboy Champion in the Ozark Region. The Senior has totaled 1,805.5 points this year, winning the distinction by a landslide.
On top of being the All-Around Champion, Brown also closes the regular season as the top Team Roping Heeler and Tie Down Roper in the Ozark. The Cowboy's 1,035.5 points as the Heeler and 775 points in the Tie Down Roping was well more than enough to secure two more Regional Honors to solidify his spot as one of the top Cowboys in the Nation.
Next to Brown is Clarke Gordon, who continued his greatness this weekend with 160 points in the Team Roping event as the Header. Gordon's 1,030.5 as the Team Roper Header clinched another individual Championship for West Alabama as the Senior is officially the Team Roper Header Champion in the Ozark Region. While Brown and Gordon claim the Team Roping Championship within the Region, they are also the No. 1 ranked duo in the country.
Along with Poole, Henderson, Brown, and Gordon winning individual Championships, West Alabama also had a handful of Cowboys and Cowgirls finish within the top-three. Joanna Hammett was the Reserve Champion in the Goat Tying event, finishing with 685 points this athletic year. Katelyn Carney was the Reserve Champions in the Barrel Racing as the freshman registered 100 points in the event this weekend which skyrocketed her up to second place in the Region with 455 total points this year. Both Hammett and Carney have officially punched their ticket to the NIRA Finals.
To round out the Men's Team, Cooper Cowan finished second in the Ozark as a Team Roping Header with 795.0 total points, securing a Reserve Championship and a trip to the NIRA Finals. Stone Reeves, Wilder Andrews, and Kota Wilhite will join the Tigers to complete the Men's six-man team.
"The bond our team had this year is unlike anything I've ever seen before," Poole closed.
West Alabama Men's and Women's Rodeo team will compete in the NIRA Finals this summer on June 15-21 at the Ford Event Center in Casper, Wyoming.
