facebook pixel

色花堂app

Skip to Main Content
色花堂app home

色花堂app Women’s Rodeo Team ranked No. 1 in region, heads to nationals June 14-20

May 1, 2015
ISU Marketing and Communications

The 色花堂app Women鈥檚 Rodeo Team finished No. 1 in its region, currently leads the college rodeo national standings and will compete at the College National Finals Rodeo June 14-20 in Casper, Wyoming.

Four of the five ISU Women鈥檚 Rodeo Team members that will compete at the College National Finals Rodeo this year finished first in four events during the 2014-15 Rocky Mountain Region鈥檚 10-rodeo season.

From left, Kindee Wilson, Shelby Freed, Dallen Gunter, Megan Gunter, and Jacalyn Walker-Austin (Kimberlyn Fitch not pictured).The ISU women dominated the region, scoring a team total of 6,343.5 points compared to runner-up College of Southern Idaho鈥檚 1,810 points. The ISU Women鈥檚 team swept the top-three spots and fifth in the Women鈥檚 All-Around competition. Many of the team鈥檚 members were on the ISU Women鈥檚 Rodeo Team that won a national title in 2013.

ISU鈥檚 first-place finishers were:

鈥 Kimberlyn Fitch, American Falls, first, women鈥檚 all-around and breakaway roping, she was also the 2013 national champion in breakaway roping;

鈥 Megan E. Gunter, McCammon, first, team roping header;

鈥 Shelby Freed, Pocatello, first, barrel racing; and

鈥 Jacalyn Walker-Austin, Plain City, Utah, first, goat tying.

Kimberlyn Fitch鈥淭wo years ago, the women鈥檚 team won the College National Finals Rodeo,鈥 said Melisa Moon Giannini, ISU Rodeo Club advisor. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited and we think we have a good chance of winning it all again.鈥

The top three finishers in the region in each event qualify for the national rodeo. Other top-three finishes in region by ISU women鈥檚 team included, Freed, second in the women鈥檚 all-around; Walker-Austin, third in the women鈥檚 all-around; Fitch second in barrel racing; and Gunter, third in break away roping and fifth in the all-around; and Kindee Wilson, Filer, third in goat tying.

鈥淚 think the amount of competitiveness, even among our team, is a good thing and makes everybody better,鈥 said Jared Arave, one of the team鈥檚 coaches. 鈥淭he key to our success is that we have good girls really pushing each other.鈥

Walker-Austin, who is pursuing her Master of Health Education degree at ISU after graduating with her bachelor鈥檚 degree from Utah Valley University last year, competed against some of her former teammates during the regional competition. UVU also competes in the Rocky Mountain Region.

Shelby Freed competing in the goat tying event at a rodeo this season.鈥淚t has been really fun competing for ISU during the season, and now we are going on to nationals,鈥 Walker-Austin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a clean slate once you get to the college finals and we鈥檒l do our best. ISU rodeo is what brought me here to do my master鈥檚.鈥

On the men鈥檚 side, ISU will be sending Dallen Gunter, who finished first in the region in men鈥檚 team roping heeler, while competing with his sister, Megan, in this event. This is the third time the siblings from McCammon will compete at the College National Finals Rodeo and the second consecutive year they finished first in the region.

鈥淎t nationals, there is a lot more excitement and a lot more on the line, so there is more pressure,鈥 Dallen Gunter said. 鈥淏ut if we compete to the best of our abilities, I don鈥檛 see any reason we won鈥檛 place high in the event.鈥

Overall, the ISU Men鈥檚 Rodeo Team finished seventh in the region.

鈥淚t was a fun year and we appreciate all of our sponsors who have helped us along the way,鈥 Giannini said. 鈥淲e appreciate that support and we hope to be good representatives of the state, school and all the people who have supported us.鈥


Categories:

University News