Rodeo team members earn academic honors

Mesalands Community College announced their 2012 Academic All-American rodeo recipients:

Bailey Bates of Mexican Springs, Macy Fuller of Clarkston, Wash.; Hayden Moore of Clovis and Fran Orozco-Marchand of Omak, Wash.

Courtesy photo: Dan Hubbell Photography

Macy Fuller at the 2012 College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo. Fuller was crowned CNFR Rookie of the Year and is a 2012 Academic All-American recipient.

This honor is bestowed to students that have a 3.5 cumulative grade point average and qualified for the 2012 College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo. There are 50 students in the nation that received this award.

Mesalands is leading the nation with 16 Academic All-Americans in the past five years. Mesalands also had the most students this year to receive this award.

"It's a pretty good feeling knowing that our students are doing well inside the arena and inside the classroom," said C.J. Aragon, Mesalands rodeo coach. "These students are taking care of business in all of aspects that we're asking them to."

The 2011-2012 Mesalands Rodeo Team had a cumulative GPA of 3.21 last year while also qualifying 10 students to nationals, the most in the program's history.

The women's team finished in fourth place. The men's team finished 27th.

Fuller, Bates, and Moore, all three freshmen, are returning this fall to compete in rodeo at Mesalands. Orozco-Marchand, a three-time Academic All-American, graduated in spring 2012 with an associate's degree in farrier science.

The 2012-2013 Mesalands rodeo team will have approximately 50 students on the team and will have their first rodeo Sept. 21-22 in Tsaile, Ariz.