The Chadron State College rodeo team will open its season this weekend at Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne.  CSC’s annual rodeo will be the following weekend, Sept. 17-19, at the Dawes County Fairgrounds.

While several of last year’s leaders graduated, Coach Dustin Luper believes the Eagles’ pokes will be competitive again.  The CSC women’s team qualified for the College National Finals Rodeo last June.

One of that team’s leaders, Brianna Williams, will compete again, this time as a graduate student.  She placed fourth among the 58 contestants in breakaway roping at the CNFR last year.

Among her teammates will be Tayle Brink, who was the Great Plains Region all-around cowgirl while competing at Black Hills State last year. She’s also a graduate student at CSC now. Both Williams and Brink attended Harding County High School at Buffalo, S.D.

A third Harding High grad, Sierra Lee, also will in action this year after recovering from an injury.

The CSC women’s team also includes Phannette Gray of Ridgeview, S.D., a breakaway roper who caught two of her three calves at the 2020-21 CNFR.

Among those returning on the men’s team is Tanner McInerney of Hulett, Wyo., who finished sixth in tie down roping in the Central Rocky Mountain Region last year. Also back are Colton Storer of Arthur and Tanner Whitham of Morrill.  They won the team roping at the  region’s final rodeo last April.   

- Con Marshall