Article and results provided courtesy College National Finals Rodeo. CNFR Photo by Dan Hubbell
JUNE 15, 2019, CASPER, WYOMING — The 71st annual College National Finals Rodeo crowned 2019 individual, all-around and team champions during the final round of competition June 15 at the Casper Events Center.
In the nine individual events and in the all-around, those ranked first when the night began were expected to take home the national championships. However, in rodeo anything can happen, and in some cases the winners came from behind to earn their titles.
Ashtyn Carlson, a 19-year-old sophomore at the College of Southern Idaho, led the barrel racing when the night began. All other events are run in a 12th- to first-place order, but competition positions are drawn in the barrel racing where running near the first can be an advantage. Carlson drew the undesirable last position and watched as several barrel racers clocked times fast enough to win previous rounds. New Mexico State’s Jayde Wamel turned in the week’s fastest time of 13.99 seconds. Carlson, of Loma, Colorado, did not succumb to the pressure, instead making her fastest run of the week, 14.03 seconds, to secure the fastest average and her first college championship.
In goat tying, Mia Manzanares, a recent summa cum laude graduate of McNeese State University, began the night ranked fourth. Manzanares, the 2019 CNFR champion in goat tying, breakaway roping and the all-around, trailed the leader by 1.1 seconds. Last year the Opelousas, Louisiana, cowgirl won the final round of goat tying with a time of 5.9 seconds. This year she was even faster, stopping the clock in 5.8 seconds, to take the overall lead with three contestants still to compete. Her total time of 25.1 was just two-tenths slower than last year’s winning total. Beau Peterson, a freshman nursing major at Oklahoma Panhandle State University from Council Grove, Kansas, had a one-tenth of a second lead on Manzanares when the final round began. Peterson, who competed just after Manzanares, tied her goat in 5.9 seconds and tied Manzanares’ total of 25.1. The two contestants who were first and second coming into the finals were not able beat Peterson and Manzanares, so the two women are 2019 goat tying co-champions. Manzanares also won her second consecutive women’s all-around title.
Coby Johnson, an Idaho cowboy riding for Sheridan College in Wyoming, came into the final round of bull riding knowing a qualified ride would earn him the championship since he was the only cowboy to ride his first three bulls. But bull riding is nothing if not unpredictable. Johnson was the next-to-last rider to compete, and Frontier Rodeo’s bull Show Ring threw him to the dirt. That opened the door for Daylon Swearingen, a freshman from Pifford, New York, who rides for Panola College in Texas. Swearingen scored 76 points on Vold Rodeo Co.’s bull Landslide to earn 237 total points and win the championship. Swearingen has been making his mark on the bull riding scene this year. He is currently ranked 23rd in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association bull riding standings and 19th in the Professional Bull Riders. He is also seventh in the PRCA all-around standings. Swearingen is one of the few individuals from east of the Mississippi to win a national championship at the CNFR in 71 years.
The steer wrestling almost saw another come-from-behind winner. Bridger Anderson, a sophomore at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, led the event and was the final contestant. To win the title, he needed a time of 6.9 seconds or better. The Carrington, North Dakota, cowboy’s slowest time of the week had been 4.7, so a time under 7 seconds seemed likely. But that was before Anderson missed grabbing the nose of the steer and almost lost all contact with the animal. He managed to get it to the ground in 6.7 seconds to salvage the championship.
Taylor Munsell, a 2019 graduate of Northwestern Oklahoma State University, earned the breakaway roping championship with a total time of 10.5 seconds over four rounds. Munsell, who earned her degree in health and sports science, won the title at her second CNFR riding a horse she bought for just $200. The 22-year-old cowgirl from Harmon, Oklahoma, was also the breakaway reserve champion at RFD-TV’s The American in March. While Northwestern Oklahoma State University has a history of success at the CNFR, particularly on the men’s side, Munsell is the first woman to earn a championship for the Alva, Oklahoma, school.
A pair of seniors from Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Dalton Titsworth of Ravenna, Paola, Kansas, and Kolton White of Sumner, Texas, won first in team roping with a total time of 27.9 seconds. Titsworth was competing at his first CNFR, while White was back for the third time. His best previous finish was fifth in bull riding in 2017.
Chance Ames, a junior from Big Piney, Wyoming, riding for Sheridan College scored 82.5 points on Vold Rodeo Co.’s horse Wrangler Valley to win third in the final round of bareback riding. That score gave the construction technology major the championship by four points.
Junior Haven Meged from Miles City, Montana, earned Texas’ Tarleton State University the 2019 championship. He won the tie-down roping with a total time of 36.7 seconds. Meged, an ag industries and agencies major, finished 10th in the event at last year’s CNFR. He is having a great professional rodeo season, winning the RAM National Circuit Finals Rodeo and currently ranked in the top 10 in the PRCA world standings.
Sophomore Riggin Smith, who competes for Texas’ Clarendon College, won the saddle bronc riding with a 76.5-point ride on two-time National Finals Rodeo bucking horse Painted Coast from Vold Rodeo Co. That gave Smith, who is from Winterset, Iowa, third place in the round and earned him the championship with 311 points on four broncs.
Caleb McMillan, a 21-year-old junior from Soap Lake, Washington, took home the men’s all-around championship for Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming. McMillan competed in saddle bronc riding, bull riding and tie-down roping and qualified for the final round in bull riding.
Panola College, a two-year community college in Carthage, Texas, won the men’s team championship with another Texas school, Hill College, finishing second.
McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana, took the women’s team championship for the second year in a row. Mia Manzanares won the 2018 title single-handedly, but this year the team not only got points from the goat tying and all-around champ, but from other team members. Reserve champion women’s team was the College of Southern Idaho.
2019 COLLEGE NATIONAL FINALS RODEO CHAMPIONS
Barrel Racing – Ashtyn Carlson, College of Southern Idaho, 57.03
Breakaway Roping – Taylor Munsell, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 10.5 seconds
Goat Tying – Beau Peterson, Panhandle State University, and Mia Manzanares, McNeese State University, 25.1 seconds each
Bareback – Chance Ames, Sheridan College, 319 points
Tie-Down Roping – Haven Meged, Tarleton State University, 36.7 seconds
Saddle Bronc Riding – Riggin Smith, Clarendon College, 311 points
Steer Wrestling – Bridger Anderson, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 19.1
Team Roping – Dalton Titsworth and Kolton White, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 27.9
Bull Riding – Daylon Swearingen, Panola Junior College, 237
Men’s All-Around – Colton Campbell, California State University – Fresno, 240
Women’s All-Around – Mia Manzanares, McNeese State University, 322.5 points
Men’s Team – Panola Junior College, 825 points
Women’s Team – McNeese State University, 462.5 points
Men’s Rookie – Daylon Swearingen, Panola Junior College, 275 points
Women’s Rookie – Hailey Finnegan, Lassen College, 285 points
CNFR FINAL RESULTS AND STANDINGS
The following are final round and overall winners at the 71st annual College National Finals Rodeo on June 15, 2019, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Complete results are available at www.collegerodeo.com.
Bareback Riding: (final round) 1, Cole Reiner, Casper College, 84.5 points. 2, Tyler Johnson, Panola College, 84. 3, Chance Ames, Sheridan College, 82.5. 4, Klancy Krenka, College of Southern Idaho, 77.5. (total on four) 1, Ames, 319. 2, Johnson, 311.5. 3, Jesse Pope, Missouri Valley College, 308.5. 4, Cole Reiner, Casper College, 307. 5, Leighton Berry, Weatherford College, 301. 6, Chance Merrill, Coffeyville Community College, 296. 7, Klancy Krenka, 293.5. 8, Tyler Berghuis, Tarleton State University, 286.
Tie Down Roping: (final round) 1, Cody Burnside, Central Arizona College, 9.1 seconds. 2, Ladd King, Weber State University, 9.8. 3, Jack Graham, Montana State University, 9.9. 4, Haven Meged, Tarleton State University, 10.3. (total on four) 1, Haven Meged, 36.7. 2, Colton Campbell, California State University – Fresno, 39.6. 3, Cody Burnside, 41.8. 4, Ladd King, 43.4. 5, Jack Graham, Montana State University, 44.3. 6, Bryce Bott, Montana State University, 49.0. 7, Kasen Brennise, Weatherford College, 23.1. (on three) 8, Ty Harris, Texas A&M University – Commerce, 28.9.
Breakaway Roping: (final round) 1, Shelby Boisjoli, Ranger College, 2.1 seconds. 2, (tie) Bryana Lehrmann, Texas A&M University and Kassidi Hofman, Kansas State University, 2.9 each. 4, Taylor Munsell, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 3.1. (total on four) 1, Taylor Munsell, 10.5. 2, Boisjoli, 11.2. 3, Lehrmann, 12.0.. 4, Rayna Longeway, University of Idaho, 12.7. 5, Kassidi Hofman, 20.5. (on two) 6, Hope Luttrell, Cochise College, 8.9. 7, Rickie Engesser, Tarleton State University, 9.0. 8, Celie Salmond, Montana State University, 9.9.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (final round) 1, Lane Schuelke, Casper College, 78 points. 2, Cooper Thatcher, Panhandle State University, 77.5. 3, Riggin Smith, Clarendon College, 76.5. 4, Parker Fleet, Hill College, 76. (total on four) 1, Riggin Smith, 311. 2, Parker Fleet, 296.5. 3, Tegan Smith, Clarendon College, 291. 4, (tie) Cooper Thatcher, and Dawson Dahm, Panhandle State University, 290.5. 6, Lane Schuelke, 289. 7, Cameron Messier, Feather River College, 286. 8, Trey Watts, Missouri Valley College, 284.
Steer Wrestling: (final round) 1, Walt Arnold, Cisco College, 3.9 seconds. 2, Kalane Anders, Chadron State College, 4.1. 3, Connor Gentry, Missouri Valley College, 4.7. 4, (tie) J.D. Draper, Mid Plains Community College, and ty Everson, University of Wyoming, 5.2. (total on four) 1, Bridger Anderson, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 19.1 seconds. 2, Tyler West, Southwest Texas junior College, 19.3. 3, J.D. Draper, 5.2. 4, Ty Everson, 20.7. 5, Seth Peterson, University of Wyoming, 21.6. 6, Nathan Weyrich, Central Wyoming College, and Connor Gentry, 22.5. 8, Kalane Anders, Chadron State College, 22.6.
Goat Tying: (final round) 1, Mia Manzanares, McNeese State University, 5.8 seconds. 2, Beau Peterson, Panhandle State University, 5.9. 3, Kaytlyn Miller, South Plains College, 6.2. 4, Emma Hodson, Weber State University, 6.3. (total on four) 1, (tie) Manzanares and Peterson, 25.1 each. 3, Hodson, 25.2. 4, Lauren Bane, Sam Houston State University, 25.9. 5, (tie) Janey Reeves, University of Idaho, and Kaytlyn Miller, 26.4. 7, (tie) Taylour Latham, Gillette College; Teisha Coffield, University of Wyoming; and Jacey Thompson, Eastern Wyoming College, 26.5.
Team Roping: (final round) 1, Wyatt Hershberger, Cochise College, and Junior Zambrano, Central Arizona College, 6.0 seconds. 2, Chase Onaka and Sterling Humphry, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 6.3. 3, Dalton Titsworth and Kolton White, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 8.1. 4, Clay Elkington and Cody Burnside, Central Arizona College, 10.1. (total on four) 1, Dalton Titsworth and Kolton White, 27.9 seconds. 2, Chase Onaka and Sterling Humphry, 30.5. 3, Wyatt Hershberger and Junior Zambrano, 30.7. 4, Jhett Trenary, Tarleton State University and Dylan Jones, Clarendon College, 34.8. 5, Cord Kohleffel and Kaine Warnken, Texas A&M University, 36.9. 6, Clay Elkington and Cody Burnside, 38.2. (on three) 7, Cyle Denison and Ross Ashford, Hill College, 21.1. 8, Braden Pirrung, Eastern Wyoming College and Jerren Johnson, Casper College, 23.6.
Barrel Racing: (final round) 1, Jayde Wamel, New Mexico State University, 13.99 seconds. 2, Ashtyn Carlsosn, College of Southern Idaho, 14.03. 3, Bristan Kennedy, Weatherford College, 14.12. 4, Hailey Finnegan, Lassen College, 14.16. (total on four) 1, Ashtyn Carlson, 57.03. 2, Hailey Finnegan, 57.22. 3, Rachael Calvo, University of Wyoming, 57.51. 4, Maddy Dickens, Tarleton State University, 57.69. 5, Jayde Wamel, 57.84. 6, Bristan Kennedy, Weatherford College, 57.92. 7, Julia Starzinski, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 58.10. 8, 8, Makayla Seely, Casper College, 58.12.
Bull Riding: (final round) 1, Dalton Kasel, Howard College, 81 points. 2, Nate Hoey, Lamar College, 80. 3, Parker McCown, Hill College, 78.5. 4, Daylon Swearingen, Panola College, 76. (total on three – overall winners) 1, Daylon Swearingen, 237. 2, Dalton Kasel, Howard College, 234. 3, Coby Johnson, Sheridan College, 231.5. 4, Parker McCown, Hill College, 215. (on two) 5, (tie) Colten Fritzlan, Western Texas College, and Nate Hoey, 158.5. 7, Caleb McMillan, Northwest College, 156.5. 8, Nick Pelke, 149.5.
Men’s All-Around: 1, Colton Campbell, California State University – Fresno, 240 points. 2, Caleb Mcmillan, Northwest College, 225. 3, Cody Burnside, Central Arizona College, 215. 4, Caden Camp, University of Wyoming 155.
Women’s All-Around: 1, Mia Manzanares, McNeese State University, 322.5. 2, Janey Reeves, University of Idaho, 117.5. 3, Carlee Johnston, Black Hills State University, 65.
Men’s Team: 1, Panola Junior College, 825 points. 2, Hill College, 675. 3, Clarendon College, 660. 4, Sheridan College, 570.
Women’s Team: 1, McNeese State University, 462.5. 2, College of Southern Idaho, 370. 3, Tarleton State University, 305. 4, Lassen College, 285.
