Northwest Mississippi Rodeo Finishes Fifth at Missouri Valley Event

The Northwest Mississippi Community College men’s rodeo team finished fifth at the Viking Stampede held at Saline County Fairgrounds from September 17-19, according to team officials.

Head coach Will Lummus praised the team’s effort, noting both strengths and areas for improvement. “There were a lot of things we did really well, and a lot of things we could have done better,” Lummus said. “We didn’t draw very good, but there was a lot to build on.”

The team’s top performer was Sloan Steward, a freshman from Mount Ulla, North Carolina. Steward posted strong results in team roping as a heeler and steer wrestling. He led team roping after the first round with a 6.7-second run alongside Teigan Orr of the University of West Alabama. The duo nearly won the second round but was edged out by a Pearl River Community College team by three-tenths of a second. They finished with a combined 13.8 seconds for the two-head average, earning 170 points for the weekend.

Steward also finished second in steer wrestling in the short go with a run of four seconds flat, just one-tenth behind Spencer Howard of Tennessee Martin. Despite a tough draw in the final round, Steward still accumulated 220 points and remains a key contender for the team’s All-Around award this season.

Other notable performances included Trey Lee Weekley, who scored in team roping with Drew Dollar of Southern Arkansas University, posting a 6.9-second run in the first go. Although they did not catch in the final round, they finished sixth in the average with 10 points and earned 60 points for the weekend. Cayce Huver of Nashville, Michigan, placed fifth in steer wrestling with a two-head average of 15.6 seconds, while sophomore Brayden Mahon made the short go and finished sixth overall with a pair of solid runs.

Coach Lummus highlighted the effort of Cayce Huver and Brayden Mahon, both of whom showed promise despite tough draws. “Cayce is a really raw, talented guy but puts out a lot of effort,” Lummus said. “Brayden is the oldest wrestler in the group, and he didn’t draw very well, but he made two decent runs with what he had and still ended up sixth. I’m looking for him to make the national finals this year.”

The women’s team faced challenges at the event, with their barrel racing runs falling just outside the top ten, according to Lummus. The team will return to competition this weekend at the UWA Rodeo Showdown in Livingston, Alabama, starting Thursday at 7 p.m., marking the start of a four-weekend stretch of rodeos.

“I like it when our rodeos are back-to-back because it’s easier to get on a roll, but also easier to get out of a slump,” Lummus said. “I look for big things from West Alabama.”

Fans can follow the team’s progress at nwccrangers.com or on the team’s social media accounts.

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