MERIDIAN, Miss. – The University of Tennessee at Martin rodeo teams competed for the first time in nearly four months as they were in action at East Mississippi Community College over the weekend.
The Skyhawk men’s team recorded 220 points over the three-day event, placing seventh in the standings. On the women’s side, UT Martin came away with 60 points to rank sixth in the field.
Clint Southworth and Caden Ussery each posted points in calf roping. Southworth turned in a commanding performance as the senior out of Bagdad, Ky. topped the field in average (19.5) and first-round time (9.3) while finishing second in the short go (10.2). Meanwhile, Ussery’s time of 10.2 seconds in the first round was good enough for third place.
The duo of Brianna Pugh and Leah Pitts gained points in the breakaway roping event. Pugh ranked second with a 6.2 average while splitting second in both the opening round (2.6) and in the short go (3.6). Pitts was able to finish fifth in both average (7.8) and in the short round (4.2).
In steer wrestling, Sam Bavido generated points after his 8.3 seconds in the first round was the sixth-best time in the field.
Three barrel racers accumulated points in barrel racing, paced by Madde Shelton and Ryanne Frecker. Shelton attained points in all three phases with the second-best time in the first round (15.119) plus sixth-best finishes in the short go (20.632) and average (35.751). Frecker’s second-round time (15.546) ranked third in the field while her 30.971 average placed fourth in the standings. Savannah Moran also got off to a fantastic start in the event, leading the way with a 21.509 mark in the first round.
The Skyhawks return to the Magnolia State next week as they will compete in the rodeo hosted by Pearl River Community College on Thursday, March 21 through Saturday, March 23 in Poplarville, Miss.
