Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Mesalands athlete Dakota Watson and her horse carry the American flag during the opening ceremony Saturday during the Grand Canyon Region Intercollegiate Rodeo at the Quay County Fairgrounds arena.
Only one Mesalands Community College athlete advanced to compete in Saturday's final of the 16th annual Grand Canyon Region Intercollegiate Rodeo at the Quay County Fairgrounds arena.
That finalist, bareback bronc rider Logan Carpenter of Alamogordo, quickly was bucked off Saturday for no score.
MCC's Rachel Sova of Newell, South Carolina, on Friday finished just one spot out of Saturday's finals. She finished 13th in the standings in breakaway roping; only the top 12 advanced.
Mesalands first-year coach Bo Segerman also held high hopes for James Zehrung of Borger, Texas, in the bareback bronc and team roping competitions.
But Zehrung suffered a tendon tear in his foot that will keep him sidelined until spring competition.
"We're green, but we did all right," Segerman said. "It was a little tough luck here and there."
Segerman also said he was pleased both sessions each were accomplished in well under 2 1/2 hours - a typical goal for most rodeos.
Another MCC athlete in the spotlight Saturday was Plant City, Florida, barrel racer and goat wrangler Dakota Watson, who carried the American flag around the arena on horseback during the opening ceremony.
The grandstand at the fairgrounds arena appeared to have a good-size crowd on Saturday night, possibly because of mild temperatures during the week.
"Yeah, we had a good crowd," Segerman said. "I like this place."
New Mexico State University has been leading the region's team standings for men and women this season, and it appeared the results in Tucumcari wouldn't change that. NMSU athletes repeatedly finished high in many events.
Segerman, a former assistant rodeo coach an NMSU before being hired as head coach at Mesalands this spring, admitted he knew a few of those athletes at the weekend's competition.
"I'd been there the last two years, so there's a couple of them that I built," he said. "I have relationships with them same way I have with my team."
One of those NMSU athletes, Caleb Griego, won the premier event of the night, bull riding. Scoring a 76, he was the only competitor to complete a successful ride Saturday night.
