Pictured (from left) is Brennen Wilson and Makenzie Mayes.
By: Justin Hargrove, Assistant Athletic Director
The Northeast Texas Community College Rodeo team kicked off the 2022-2023 Season with the first Fall Rodeo hosted by Panola College.
Makenzie Mayes, freshmen from Winnsboro, Texas, came away with a second-place finish in the Ladies Breakaway Roping in her first collegiate Rodeo. Makenzie was just one tenth away from winning first place in her first ever National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) Southern Region Rodeo.
Brennen Wilson, freshmen from Gilmer, Texas also did well for the Eagles. Brennen teamed up with Lantz Pyssen from Southwest Texas Junior College to bring home a third-place finish in the Team Roping event. Wilson and Pyssen had a time of 5.6 seconds just off the first-place time of 5.4.
NTCC competes in the Southern region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association with Hill College, Louisiana State University-Alexandria, McNeese State University, Panola College, Sam Houston State University, Southwest Texas Junior College, Stephen F. Austin University, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Trinity Valley Community College, and Wharton County Junior College. The Eagles will compete in ten total College Rodeo’s in hopes of qualifying for the College National Finals Rodeo.
The College National Finals Rodeo is held in Casper, Wyoming each summer. The CNFR is the best of the best in college rodeo. It is where the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association crowns individual event champions in saddle bronc riding, bare back riding, bull riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, team roping, barrel racing, breakaway roping, and goat tying. National team championships are also awarded to both men’s and women’s teams. Over 400 cowboys and cowgirls from over 100 universities and colleges compete in Casper each year. Contestants compete all year in one of the NIRA’s 11 regions for a chance to rope or ride at the CNFR.
NTCC will travel to Uvalde, Texas October 7th-8th for the Southwest Texas Junior College Rodeo for the second college Rodeo of the season before hosting the third stop on the tour with the NTCC Rodeo on October 21st-22nd at the Mount Pleasant Rodeo Association Priefert Arena located on Greenhill Road in Mount Pleasant, Texas. Keep an eye out for more information about the NTCC Rodeo in the coming weeks.
