Two Mesalands athletes compete at CNFR

Two athletes from Mesalands Community College competed in last week’s National College Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming, but neither advanced to the championship round.

Mesalands saddle bronc rider Cache L. Schellenberg, a freshman, finished 27th overall in the standings.

Schellenberg logged scores of 53.5 and 54.5 in the first two days of competition and failed to score in the third day. As a result, he didn’t qualify for the championship short program.

New Mesalands coach Bo Segerman said Schellenberg drew a subpar animal during the first two rounds.

“Our bronc rider didn’t have enough horse,” Segerman said. “He just needed to draw better. He didn’t have that good of luck.”

Gus Gaillard of Tarleton State University won the saddle bronc title with a total of 345 points, edging teammate and runner-up Ira Dickinson’s 255 points.

Tarleton State also won the men’s team title with 895 points, edging Clarendon College’s 820 points.

Mesalands bull rider Koby Usmar, also a freshman, failed to score a successful ride on all three sessions at the CNFR and didn’t advance to the short round.

Wacey J. Schalla of Clarendon won the bull riding crown with 360 points. Schalla also won the men’s all-round title.

Madalyn S. Richards of Texas A&M University won the women’s all-around title. The University of West Alabama captured the women’s team crown.

Schellenberg and Usmar both are transferring to Missouri State University-West Plains, where previous Mesalands coach Matt Hughes went to take a rodeo coaching job in his hometown a few months ago.