By Ryne Rickman, UT Martin Sports Information Director
CASPER, Wyo. – Another successful University of Tennessee at Martin rodeo season is officially in the books as the 75th Annual College National Finals Rodeo wrapped up on Saturday evening at the Ford Wyoming Center.
Making its 48th appearance in the last 49 years at the weeklong national championship event, the Skyhawk men’s squad placed 21st in the team standings with 195 points. Clarendon College won the men’s title with 855 points while West Alabama managed the win on the women’s side with 698.3 points.
A pair of UT Martin cowboys clinched a spot in Saturday’s championship round of their respective events. For the second straight year, Cole Walker advanced to the finals in tie down roping as he finished sixth overall with a 40.8 average. Jesse Keysaer also earned a trip into the finals in steer wrestling as he placed seventh with an average of 33.8.
Walker, the defending national champion in all-around, made another run at a repeat in the same category this year but came up just short. His 113.3 points placed second behind West Texas A&M’s Quade Hiatt for that title.
In tie down roping, Walker ranked third in the opening round with a 9.3 and followed that with an 11.0 flat in the second go. After a 9.8 in the third round solidified a spot in the finals, the senior from Sparta, Tenn. was responsible for the fourth-fastest time in Saturday’s performance round with a 10.7.
A senior out of Culleoka, Tenn., Keysaer got off to a great start in steer wrestling as his 5.5 in the first round was the fourth-best time in the field. He posted an 8.2 in Round 2 and a 14.6 in the third round before equaling his first-round time (5.5) during Saturday’s finals, which was the sixth-best time in the event.
In addition to his contributions in tie down roping, Walker also competed in team roping alongside Logan Graham from Southern Arkansas. That duo came in 18th place in the final overall standings with a 19.7 average. Their 7.8 in the opening round was good enough for an eighth-place finish before posting an 11.9 in Round 2. The pair ran into some tough luck in the third round and did not post a score.
Senior Cannon Smith also took part in multiple events this past week for the Skyhawks as the Monroe, Tenn. native placed 20th in team roping and 30th in steer wrestling. Joining forces with Chase Graves from West Alabama, their 7.8 in the first round tied Walker/Graham for eighth place. They recorded a 15.9 in the second go and did not chalk up a score in Round 3, ending the event with a 23.7 average. Smith opened his steer wrestling event with a 9.5 in the opening round and did unfortunately generated a no-score in Round 2. He bounced back with a 15.7 in the third and final go for an average of 25.2 in the event.
Jack Smithson was also unlucky all week in the saddle bronc riding event, placing 33rd with a 65.0 average. He did not dial up a score in the first round but came back with a 65 during Round 2 festivities. His third-round performance also did not tally a score as the graduate from Springfield, Tenn. completed his second CNFR appearance in as many years.
Rounding out the UT Martin men’s team this week was Logan Neal as the graduate out of Spring Hill, Tenn. competed in steer wrestling. He accounted for a no-score in Round 1 but came back with a solid 9.6 in the second round. However, he had another no-score during Round 3 to finish 36th in the standings with a 9.6 average.
Clinching a spot in the CNFR as a true freshman was Savannah Moran, whose third-place barrel racing finish in the Ozark Region punched her ticket to compete against the nation’s best. The Ripley, Ohio native placed 34th overall with a 49.01 average. Her event began with a 14.77 in Round 1 and followed with times of 14.79 and 19.45 in Rounds 2 and 3, respectively.
Tonight’s result completes a notable debut season for Skyhawk head coach Chase Thrasher. The 2021 UT Martin alum guided the men’s squad to top-two finishes in six of its 10 regular season rodeos while also overseeing the women’s team to five top-two finishes in 2022-23. That includes men’s victories at East Mississippi Community College (March 16-18) as well as both Skyhawk men’s and women’s teams sweeping the 55th Annual UT Martin Spring College Rodeo on April 13-15.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information
