UW Rodeo teams chase regional titles at Laramie finale

The Cliff and Martha Hansen Livestock Teaching Arena became the center of Albany County’s spring sports economy as the University of Wyoming Rodeo Team closed the Central Rocky Mountain Region season at the Laramie River Rendezvous Rodeo. UW athletes filled 20 spots across multiple disciplines, with regional titles and College National Finals Rodeo berths on the line in front of a home crowd.

The three-session meet ran Friday and Saturday at 6:30 p.m. and closed Sunday with the championship round at 11 a.m. Adult admission was $30 per session, with student tickets at $15. For Laramie, the annual weekend brought a steady flow of fans to the arena on the south side of town, and it gave the city another showcase event built around one of the university’s most visible athletic programs.

The stakes were high. The final rodeo of the regular season determined which teams and individuals advanced to Casper for the College National Finals Rodeo, set for June 14-20 at the Ford Wyoming Center. The top two men’s and women’s teams in the Central Rocky Mountain Region earned team bids, and the top three individuals in each event received automatic trips.

UW’s men entered the weekend with an insurmountable lead over Sheridan College and were chasing an eighth straight regional title. The Cowgirls were close to their first CRMR championship in four years after finishing second to Gillette College three seasons in a row. Coach Seth Glause said this would be the first time in his eight-year UW career that both programs could win overall titles in the same season.

The home finale also put familiar names in front of the Albany County crowd. Traven Sharon, Rio Nutter, David Gallagher, Tate Talkington, Josie Mousel and Layni Stevens had all turned in strong results in recent weeks, including at the Skyline Stampede and the Casper rodeo. Their performances helped give the Laramie meet the kind of local relevance that reaches beyond rodeo fans, because this was not just a campus event. It was a weekend that drew people into town, filled a 47,500-square-foot arena dedicated in September 1996, and reminded Laramie what a successful UW spring can still bring home.