Bennett, Gililland, Higgins Complete Third Go at College National Finals Rodeo

Higgins Still in Running for Short Go

CASPER, WYO. — Senior bull rider Dusty Higgins (Sr., Roswell, NM/New Mexico JC) remains in the running for the short go at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo., despite not scoring on his ride in the third go. Bull riding has been wide open this year, with virtually every athlete failing to score in at least one round. Eight rides are on tap for Friday, June 17, to complete the third go.

Higgins, with a solid 79 on his one successful ride, currently ranks ninth in the standings. Three of the eight competitors set to ride on Friday already have two good rides or one ride with a higher score than Higgins. As a result, the best Higgins can do is finish in 12th place for the final spot in the short go.

Eastern's other two rodeo athletes at the CNFR also have completed the third go. Brittany Bennett (So., Portales, NM/Dora HS) placed 12th in the third go of barrel racing with a time of 14.45. She is 14th overall after earning a combined time of 44.16 seconds. The third go will conclude on Friday, when the final 10 competitors are scheduled to ride. Nataly Tatone from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas leads the event with a three-run total time of 42.62 seconds (14.39-14.09-14.14).

In team roping, James Gililland (Sr., Tularosa, NM/Tularosa HS) and Clayton Jackson of Tarleton State University, did not score in the third go and will not make the short go despite very strong runs in the first go (7.3 seconds) and the second go (7.8 seconds). Gililland and Jackson are ranked 15th heading into the final section of the third go (ten teams) on Friday. Ryan Carter and Kollin VonAhn, both from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, hold first place with a combined time of 22.1 seconds (7.0-7.8-7.3).

The CNFR will conclude on Saturday, June 18, with the short go in all nine events. Tarleton State leads all other colleges and universities in the race for the men's team title with 705 points for a 285-point lead. ENMU ranks 21st with 125 points. In the women's division, Tarleton State has 236.7 points for a slim lead over Nevada-Las Vegas (220.0). Teams may gain or lose points as the third go concludes, while additional points will be earned in the short go.