MSU rodeo team shines in front of home fans

Thundering hooves kicked dust into the air as the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse was transformed and the MSU rodeo team dashed into its spring season last weekend.

Inside the fieldhouse for the first time in three years, the team hosted the first and second rodeos for the Big Sky Region spring season. With seven other colleges in competition, the four days spent inside The Brick were energetic and boasted an atmosphere like no other. 

Opening night on Thursday began with a special tribute from the Bobcat football team. Before each home game at Bobcat Stadium, members of the rodeo team would lead the football team out onto the field on horseback sporting Blue and Gold Bobcat flags. To return the favor, members of the football team ran the same flags out into the arena. 

From there, the action continued. Narrating the events was Vance Ruff, a professional rodeo and sports public address announcer. Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association entertainer Troy Lerwill kept the events full of laughter and action as a co-host with his antics and jokes. With Lerwill and Ruff going back and forth, there was never a dull moment. At the end of the night, Athletic Director Leon Costello — due to a pledge he made to the rodeo team — tried his hand at bull riding. Thursday night set the tone with fierce competition and energy matched by the rest of the weekend. 

Friday night concluded the first rodeo with a sold-out crowd, upping the excitement from the Thursday. 

“There’s so much enthusiasm and support in this community, it’s great!” Coach Whitaker said about the crowds. 

The night began with honoring the women’s rodeo team, which took home the national title for the 2021 season. It also honored Paige Rasmussen, who was named the 2021 All-Around Cowgirl at the College National Finals in June. Highlights of the night included Bobcats dominating in goat tying, breakaway roping, bareback bronc riding, tie-down roping and barrel racing. 

Between events, Lerwill jumped over a truck on a motorcycle, lit by fireworks after a comedic back-and-forth with the announcer and a decoy “Wild Child” played by Flint Rasmussen.

Saturday night came with more anticipation and another sold-out crowd for senior night. As the second rodeo started, the energy and action seemed to match the first. Highlights of the night were Logan Beattie’s 4.5 second steer wrestling time and Paige Rasmussen and Shantell Brewer’s 7.2 seconds tie in goat tying. It was also an exciting night with the first two successful scores of the weekend in bull riding. Breaking the eight-second buzzer, MSU’s Chase Runfola beat out North West College’s Sterling Rogers with a score of 83 over Rogers’ 73.

MSU claimed the championship buckle and the overall averages in tiedown roping, bull riding, steer wrestling, barrel racing and goat tying on Sunday. 

 By the end of the weekend, both the men’s and the women’s teams lead the Big Sky Region with respective total points of 4,414 and 3,053. In overall standings, Caleb Berquist leads the Men’s All-Around race with 1,947 points. 

“It’s a good group, really cohesive, first-year MSU Rodeo Head Coach Kyle Whitaker said. “This semester we started having team workouts together and team meals together which is building comradery amongst the team, for this big of a team it’s a really good group.” 

With 31 members, comradery among the students was easy to see throughout the weekend. “We’re all super positive with each other and support each other, and we want to see our team do well”, sophomore Tayla Moeykens said.

Reflecting on the feelings she had prior to the start of the competition, Moeykens remembered the excitement that filled The Brick. 

“There was a moment, we were standing there before we headed out into the arena and I told everyone, I live for this. Just the energy and the atmosphere, getting to be with our animals and getting to do what we love every day, it’s a dream come true.” Moeykens said. 

“Rodeo’s been my life, that’s why I took the job,” Whitacker said. “I saw an opportunity to help a lot of youth develop their skills, and I want to help preserve this sport because I think it’s really important to our history and our way of life.” 

The rodeo team will compete in the Miles Community College Rodeo in Miles City on Friday, April 15, and Saturday, April 16.

“We got a lot of good guys on our team, and are looking in good shape to go [to the College National Finals Rodeo], if the guys keep it up and I know we can, we’ve got a chance,” Berquist said. “There’s a lot of stuff we do behind the scenes that people don’t see to get prepared and do well. When you do well the reward you receive is one you won’t forget.”