Four members of the University of Wyoming Rodeo team qualified to compete in the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) June 11-16 at the Casper Events Center in Casper, Wyoming.
In order to qualify contestants must finish the regular rodeo season in the top three spots of the region’s standings. Wyoming competes in the Central Rocky Mountain Region. In total there are 11 regions recognized by the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA).
The four members representing UW are Jacob Smith competing in Bull Riding, Kelsey Lensegrav competing in Barrel Racing and Justene Hirsig and Denton Shaw competing together in team roping.
With Hirsig on the heading side and Shaw on the heels, they finished second in the region in team roping with Hirsig finishing the season in third place in the women’s all-around standings.
Team-roping is generally an all-male event with very few female participants, but that has not stopped Hirsig from finishing as the third best header in the region and qualifying for the CNFR.
“I think it is kind of cool because there are not very many girls that get to go in the team roping,” Hirsig said. “It is mostly a male-dominated event.”
This is the first time Hirsig, a sophomore majoring in business finance, will be going to the CNFR but Shaw, a junior in business management and consulting, has been to the CNFR before back when he was team roping at Eastern Wyoming College.
“The first time there I did not know what to expect,” Shaw said. “This time around I will do a lot of things different. It was a big learning experience the first time. This time around I expect it to go a lot better.”
Shaw and Hirsig also have a lot of experience roping together as they started competing together their sophomore year in high school. Hirsig would go on to play basketball at Casper College for a year before returning to rodeo and Shaw went on to rope at Eastern Wyoming College for two years.
Smith enters this year’s CNFR as the top bull rider in the region and this will be his second time qualifying for the finals. He qualified as a sophomore and this year as a senior. Smith is graduating May 12 with a petroleum engineering degree.
When asked about the pressure he has felt balancing rodeo with his upcoming graduation Smith said, “It has been a time crunch. It is nice to have a weekend before finals week that we do not have a rodeo.”
Smith is excited to be making his second appearance at CNFR and to be able to compete one last time.
Lensegrav, who started barrel racing at the age of four, was able to finish the season ranked second in the region in barrel racing as a freshman currently deciding what type of business degree she wants to pursue.
“It means almost everything to me, (qualifying for the CNFR),” said Lensegrav. “I have worked for this for a very long time now. It means a lot for sure.”
