LIVINGSTON, Ala. - The University of West Alabama Rodeo program gears up for the final regular season rodeo this weekend at Northwest Mississippi Community College.
West Alabama Men's and Women's Rodeo teams are both looking to bounce back and garner some momentum before the CNFR which is set for mid-June.
Coming into the final rodeo, UWA's Men's team is ranked 16th in the country and second in the Ozark Region with 4,195 points. The Tigers have virtually earned an Ozark Reserve Championship, and will now be able to take a six-man team to the CNFR in June.
Tanner Brown has the chance to clinch the All-Around Reserve Championship as he currently trails EMCC's Carson Powell by 125 points. Brown and his partner Clarke Gordon are the Ozark leaders in the Team Roping event as the duo leads the field by a wide margin with 725 points. Kota Wilhite is 40 points behind PRCC's Tyler Porter in the Tie Down Roping. Wilhite holds 480 points in the event and if he can out point Porter by 40 points this weekend, he'll be the Reserve Champion in the event.
With the Team Reserve Championship virtually in the bag, West Alabama will look to secure Individual Reserve Championships this weekend, while generating momentum as the CNFR approaches.
For the Women's squad, they are third in the Ozark Region with 1,258.33 points. It would take a herculean effort for the Tigers to generate enough points to catch Murray State who currently holds 1,745 points.
Sydney Poole is in position to secure a Reserve All-Around Championship as the senior has garnered 518.33 points this season. Poole is also in the mix in the Breakaway Roping, alongside Andi Norwood. Norwood is currently the favorite as she sits in second with 380 points. Poole has registered 318.3 points in the event, placing her third. Ivy Bone is currently sixth with 235 points, but has a chance to break into the top-three with a strong performance this weekend.
In the Barrel Racing, Allie Sherman, Madison Murphy, and Millie Joe Rosenberg have a chance to skyrocket up the leaderboards. Sherman is currently fifth with 310 points but is only 125 points away from second place. Murphy is seventh with 265 points while Rosenberg is eighth with 260.
The quartet of Poole, Murphy, Meah Pinter, and Ivy Bone will be West Alabama's representatives on the point's team as the Tigers look to close in on individual Reserve Championships.
Northwest Mississippi's Rodeo is set to begin on Thursday with action streamed live here.
