Story by Mid-Plains Communication
The Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team has the No. 1 breakaway roper in the Great Plains Region.
Now that the dust has cleared and the last gate has closed on the fall rodeos, it’s Whitney Jennings, of Seneca, who has come out on top in the regional standings. Jennings ends her run with 285 points, which she collected during a win at the MPCC Stampede in September and third and sixth place finishes in Wisconsin and Iowa.
Jennings isn’t the only one to make the regional leaderboard for Mid-Plains. Bareback rider Jackson Lunn, of Whitecourt, Alberta, is sitting second in his event.
MPCC cowboys also occupy almost half of the steer wrestling standings. Rex Day, of Bartlett, is second on the list. Cinch Painter, of Springview, came in fifth, Tucker Even, of Burke, S. D., is sixth, Koby Jacobson, of Haiku, Hawaii, is 13th, Eli Higa, of Honokaʻa, Hawaii, is 14th and Kahiwa Augustiro, of Hoʻolehua, Hawaii, is 15th.
D.C. Cathcart, of Carpenter, Wyo., spurred his way to fourth place on the bull riding leaderboard. Jacobson and Higa are right behind him in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Augustiro is tied for 10th with Jett Sjeklocha, of North Platte. Casey Reis, of Grand Island, is 12th, Elias Garcia, of Dalton, is 14th and Danny Perdew, of Eaton, Colo., is 15th.
Matt Miller, of Callaway, is holding onto third in the tie-down roping. Jace Richter, of Ogallala, is following in sixth place, and Day is ninth.
MPCC is represented by Jaxton Starr, of North Platte, who is third in the team roping heeler category. Augustiro is following at fifth, Ty Growcock, of Ericson, is seventh and Sage Dieter, of Alma, is 12th.
Higa threw his loop around fifth place in the team roping header division. Layton Lindner, of Broken Bow, is seventh and Clay Meyer, of Loomis, is 12th.
Mid-Plains is ranked third overall in the men’s team standings and is tied for fifth in the women’s team standings with North Dakota State University.
“What a great start to the season,” said Aukai Kaai, MPCC Rodeo Team roughstock coach. “Having so many student athletes ranked at the top is very exciting. I think we are in a very good spot headed into the spring season and look for more of them to push into the top three.”
The 2023-24 season will resume in the spring for members of the Great Plains Region.