ProRodeo Sports News - June 25, 2021

Winners crowned at 2021 College National Finals Rodeo The Final Exam ALL-AROUND COWBOY Cole Franks, Clarendon College, 395 points WOMEN’S ALL-AROUND COLLEGE WINNERS

Paige Rasmussen, Montana State University and Jill Donnelly, Cochise College, 180 points BAREBACK RIDING Cole Franks, Clarendon College, 330.5 points TIE-DOWN ROPING Macon Murphy, Panola College, 39.1 seconds BREAKAWAY ROPING Zoie Bedke, Idaho State University, 10.3 seconds SADDLE BRONC RIDING Dylan Schofield, Western Texas College, 310 points STEER WRESTLING Gavin Soileau, McNeese State University, 19.2 seconds GOAT TYING Jill Donnelly, Cochise College, 26.5 seconds TEAM ROPING Kellan and Carson Johnson, Casper College, 26.7 seconds BARREL RACING Tayla Moeykens, Montana State University, 56.84 seconds BULL RIDING Tristen Hutchings, Sul Ross State University, 241.5 MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM Clarendon College, 890 points WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM Montana State University, 590 points MEN’S ROOKIE Cole Franks, Clarendon College, 395 points WOMEN’S ROOKIE Tayla Moeykens, Montana State University, 320 points

BY TANNER BARTH T risten Hutchings headed into his junior year at Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas, wanting to make some noise in the college rodeo scene. Mission accomplished. Just eight months later, he’s a College National Finals Rodeo bull riding champion. “At first I had to make myself believe that I was actually a national champion, it’s just now starting to sink in,” said Hutchings, who also is a PRCA rookie. Hutchings didn’t have it easy at the CNFR. The Inkom, Idaho, cowboy was bucked off his first bull but responded by

riding three straight, which included a 90-point ride on Vold Rodeo’s Milk Mustache in the short-go to capture his first college rodeo title. “After getting bucked off my first bull I just kind of took it ride by ride,” Hutchings said. “My short-round bull hadn’t been ridden in a couple years, but I watched him, and he was phenomenal every trip. Right out of the gate he kind of had me bowed down a little bit, I got by the corner and had to kick loose a little bit, but I got him ridden.” This season Hutchings has

“I just have to show up to every single rodeo and ride my bull. I need to start placing at some of these rodeos to be able to accomplish my goals of making it to the National Finals.” – TRISTEN HUTCHINGS

juggled not only college rodeo but also competing in ProRodeo. He’s 17th in the PRCA | Resistol Rookie Standings. To him it’s a match made in heaven, with the opportunity to get better every time out. “They seem to work pretty well together, there were a whole bunch of ProRodeos down here after the season ended,” Hutchings said. “I think going to the collegiate rodeos and doing well gives me confidence for the PRCA events and keeps me sharp throughout the year.” This is only the beginning of what will be a long PRCA summer for Hutchings, 21. “I actually just got done writing down the rodeos I’m going to go to and I’m going to as many as I can this summer,” Hutchings said. “There’s like 10 days in two months where I won’t have a rodeo. I will be on the road a ton. I’m going to try to go as hard as I can and hopefully have fun with it. “I just have to show up to every single rodeo and ride my bull. I need to start placing at some of these rodeos to be able to accomplish my goals of making it to the National Finals.”

ProRodeo Sports News 6/25/2021

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