Rodeo Teams Compete at Southern Arkansas
Magnolia, Ark. (Nov. 6, 2023)- The Missouri Valley College rodeo programs continued their seasons at the Southern Arkansas rodeo in Magnolia, Ark., over the weekend. The men's team placed first overall, with two event winners in the average, and the women's team produced one event winner.
In bareback riding, the Viking men's rodeo team took the top five places in the average, including event winner Sophomore Kooper Heimburg (San Tan Valley, Ariz.), who posted a 166 in the average. Heimberg finished with scores of 82 and 84 to win both go-rounds and collect a total of 180 points. Senior Colt Eck (Redfield, Kan.) was second in the average with a 157, and posted an 80 to finish second in the first go-round. He earned 140 points. Senior Ty Pope (Waverly, Kan.) was third with a 156 in the average, which included an 80 to place second in the second go-round. He earned 120 points. Sophomore Hayden Leavell (Ozark, Mo.) was fourth in the average with a 152, and earned 100 points. Freshman Jason Wilson (Pownal, Vt.) placed fifth with a 144 in the average, and collected 60 points.
In saddle bronc riding, Senior Tyler Freeman (Cadiz, Ky.) was first in the average with a 63, as he was the only cowboy to score in the first go-round. He earned 120 points. Pope won the second go-round with a 71, and earned 60 points. Also for the men's team, Senior Easton Kirby (Lancaster, Iowa) finished third in the team roping average with his partner from Southern Arkansas. The pair finished with an 8.3 to place sixth in the first go-round, and followed with an 8.7 to place third in the second go-round. They posted a 17 in the average and collected 90 points.
Other point scorers for the men's team included Sophomore Dawson Honeycutt (Alamosa, Colo.) with a 68 in the first go-round of bareback riding to place sixth and earned 10 points. Freshman Carson Ball (Brumer, Mo.) placed sixth in the first go-round of calf roping with a 12.5 and earned 10 points. Freshman Kade Foster (Newark, Ill.) posted a 12.1 in the second go-round of steer wrestling and earned 20 points.
The women's team was led by Junior Kenlie Raby (Mt. Vernon, Ark.), who finished first in the breakaway roping average with a 5.1. Raby was sixth in the first go-round with a 2.8, then won the second go-round with a 2.3. She earned 130 points. Sophomore Gabby Roberts (Harrison, Ark.) finished fifth in the goat tying average with a 17.5. She was fifth in the second go-round with a 9.3 and earned 40 points.
The Viking men's rodeo team finished first in the standings with a total of 610 points, followed by Southern Arkansas in second place with 500 points. The women's team finished fourth overall with 130 points. West Alabama topped the women's standings with 435 points.
Up next is the final rodeo of the fall competition season. The rodeo teams will travel to Murray, Ky., for the Murray (Ky.) rodeo, Nov. 16-18.
About Missouri Valley College
Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 40 academic programs, study abroad program, honors program, extracurricular activities, and 13 sports. The most popular majors include education and business, and some new majors are ag-business, nursing, graphic design, and health information systems (associate degree). Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.