Team roper Joao Miranda, a sophomore from Brazil, competed at the College National Finals in Casper, Wyo. last week. He and his partner missed their throws in the early rounds and they ended up finishing in the top 35.
Two of Snow College’s best rodeo athletes spent last week competing at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper, Wyo.
Bareback rider Cole Stewart, a sophomore from Centerfield, finished the season in third place in the Rocky Mountain Region and Joao Miranda, a sophomore from Brazil, finished the season as the reserve heeling champion in the team roping.
Bareback rider Cole Stewart, a sophomore from Centerfield, competed at the College National Finals in Casper, Wyo. last week. But he was bucked off his first horse and finished just outside of qualifying for the short round.
The successful season of both of these young cowboys qualified them to compete at the CNFR, which wrapped up on Saturday, June 19, according to Snow’s rodeo coach Kendra Bagley.
However, the two cowboys got off to a rocky start at the finals rodeo, Bagley said.
Stewart was bucked off of his first horse and then rode his next two horses, finishing just outside of qualifying for the short round Saturday night; this left him 26th in the nation in the bareback riding.
Miranda had a tough week as well; he missed his steer in the first round and his partner Casey Thomas from Southern Utah University missed his steer in the third round, leaving them just inside of the top 35 Team Ropers in the nation.
Despite some tough luck at the national finals rodeo, the rodeo team represented Snow College well throughout the 2021 season, Bagley said.
The men’s team finished the regular season in fourth place and the women’s team finished in fifth place in the Rocky Mountain Region, which consists of all colleges and Universities in Utah, the Western Slope of Colorado and Southern Idaho.
Twenty-six athletes represented Snow College throughout the regular rodeo season, with several excelling in their individual events. Among them were Presley Nordstrom on the women’s team; she finished the season in fourth place in the barrel racing, just one place short of securing her spot to compete in the CNFR due to a horse injury during her final rodeo.
The rodeo teams will come back strong for the 2021-2022 rodeo season which will start this fall, Bagley said. The athletes will compete in 10 regional rodeos throughout the season. The Snow College Rodeo is typically hosted the first week of March each year.
