Tarleton
is only the fifth school in NIRA history to win both national
championships in the same year.
Senior
Ryan Watkins successfully defended his 2004 tie-down roping
championship.
Tessie
McMullen placed second in the goat tying and reserve champion in
the 2005 All Around standings.
(Stephenville)—The rich heritage of national collegiate rodeo is back in full force at Tarleton State University. The Tarleton Rodeo Association picked up its fifth and sixth championship titles this summer when it claimed the 2005 men’s and women’s national titles at the Collegiate National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo.
Tarleton is only the fifth school in NIRA history to win both national championships in the same year.
After losing the national title by 12 points in 2004, the Tarleton men’s rodeo team put the 2005 championship under lock and key early, finishing with 1,485 points, more than double the points of second place Cal Poly State-San Luis Obispo.
For the Tarleton women, the 2005 championship was a little more dramatic. They were in second place going into the final night of competition, and picked up second place finishes in the breakaway roping and the goat tying to finish with 461.66 points, well ahead of the reserve champions, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The national team rodeo championships were the first for Tarleton since the men’s team won in 1967 and the women’s team claimed three straight national titles in 1969-1971.
The national titles are also the second and third championships for Tarleton rodeo coach Bob Doty, who previously led teams to a national championship and reserve championship at Western Texas College. Doty says that the rich tradition of rodeo success at Tarleton has made a significant impact on recruiting.
“Tarleton rodeo is well respected nationwide,” said Doty. “That name recognition is important when you are talking to a student about coming to Stephenville to rodeo. That tells them that they will have the opportunities to improve their skills and continue the success they may have had in high school or junior college.”
Competing in the Southwest Region of the NIRA, Doty relies heavily on picking up transfer students from community colleges in the area. In fact, half of Tarleton’s 2005 women’s championship team had been on the 2003 national champion team from Vernon College. Jackie Hobbs of Oklahoma, who placed second in the breakaway roping this summer, and Tessie McMullen of Bronte, who was second in the goat tying and reserve champion in the 2005 All Around standings, were teammates at VC.
Tarleton has one of the largest rodeo associations in the country, with 81 members, many from outside Texas. Among the four women and six men who represented Tarleton in the 2005 CNFR, only four were from Texas.
“There is a pipeline (among collegiate rodeo competitors) and most of them choose where they go to college based on the recommendation of a friend or relative who is already at the school,” said Doty. “They like coming to Texas because of the weather and the opportunities we have to work out year-round.”
Two cowboys who picked up national championships for Tarleton at the 2005 CNFR are not native Texans. Ryan Watkins, a senior from Nebraska, successfully defended his 2004 tie-down roping championship with a 37.1 on four head and an 8.4 in the finals. He also finished as reserve champion in the 2005 All Around. Cody Horwedel, a sophomore from California, won the saddle bronc riding with a score of 309.
Tarleton team ropers Blake Teixeira, a sophomore from California, and York Gill, a junior from Tennessee, placed third in the 2005 team roping standing with a 36.0 in four nights. The 4.7 they scored in the finals was a CNFR arena record. Watkins and Kyle Crick of Weatherford College turned in a 6.3 on the last night and placed fourth with a 37.8.
Other members of the Tarleton 2005 championship teams were Clayton Jackson of Wichita Falls, Sara Scott of Montana, Neelley Riley of Denton, and Bray Armes of McKinney.
Tarleton’s sweep of the men’s and women’s titles places the university in the NIRA history books along with Sam Houston State University, Sul Ross State University, Eastern Oklahoma State University and Vernon College.