Rodeo Teams Take First Place at UT-Martin Rodeo
Martin, Tenn., (April 12, 2026)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's rodeo teams competed at the Tennessee-Martin rodeo in Martin, Tenn., over the weekend. Both teams captured first place with four event winners in the average.
In bareback riding, the Viking cowboys claimed five of the top six spots in the average. Leading the team was Sophomore Jason Wilson (Bennington, Vt.), who finished second in the average with a 157. Wilson had rudes of 76 to finish fifth in the first go-round, and 81 to win the second go-round. He collected 125 points. Third in the average was Senior Hayden Leavell (Ozark, Ark.) with a 154. Leavell was sixth in the first go-round with a 75, then third in the second go-round with a 79, and earned 90 points. Sophomore Judd Pope (Garnett, Kan.) finished with a 151 to place fourth in the average. Pope had rides of 77 and 74 to finish fourth in each go-round, and earned 90 points. Sophomore Collin Roland (Childersburg, Ala.) placed fifth in the average with a 146. Roland was second in the first go-round with an 80, and followed with a 66 in the second go-round to finish sixth. He earned 80 points. Sixth in the average was Senior Kooper Heimburg (San Tan Valley, Ariz.) with a 79, after finishing third in the first go-round. Heimberg earned 50 points. Freshman Kade Parrish (LaVelle, Wisc.) was fifth in the second go-round with a 73, and earned 20 points.
In saddle bronc riding, Sophomore Treg Huver (Nashville, Mich.) finished first in the average with a 129. Huver won each go-round with rides of 71 and 58, and earned 180 points. Freshman Creek Caldwell (Bainbridge, Ind.) was second in the average with a 70 in the first go-round, and earned 100 points, and Sophomore Ethan Archer (Onalaska, Wisc.) was third in the average after placing third in the first go-round with a ride of 53 to earn 80 points.
Also for the men's team, Freshman Jace Hensley (Paola, Kan.) was first in the bull riding average after winning the first go-round with an 83.5. He earned 120 points. In steer wrestling, Freshman Tripp Taley (Greenbrier, Ark.) was third in the average with a 9.2. Tapley had a 4.2 in the first go-round to finish in second, and was fourth in the second go-round with a 5.0. He earned 110 points.
On the women's side, Junior Zoe Tunks (King City, Mo.) finished first in the breakaway roping average with a 5.0. Tunks was fourth in the first go-round with a 2.5, then followed with a 2.5 to win the second go-round to finish with 145 points. Freshman Addy Derr (Paola, Kan.) was fourth in the average with a 5.8. Derr won the first go-round with a 2.3, then placed sixth in the second go-round with a 3.5, finishing with 90 points.
Derr followed with a first place finish in the goat tying average with a 12.5. Derr won both go-rounds with times of 6.6 and 5.9 to earn 180 points. Sophomore Kate Brisbane (Kearney, Mo.) was second in the average with a 13.4, which included second place finishes in both go-rounds with times of 6.8 and 6.6. Brisbane earned 140 points. Freshman Victoria Whitehead (Jones, Okla.) was fourth in the average with a 14.0. Whitehead was second in the second go-round with a 6.6 and earned 75 points. Freshman Aubree Freeman (Cadiz, Ky.) placed sixth in the average with a 15.2. Freeman was second in the first go-round with a 6.8 and sixth in the second go-round with an 8.4 to finish with 65 points.
In barrel racing, Junior Dailey Orman (Blakesburg, Iowa) was sixth in the average with a 27.72. Orman finished fourth in the first go-round with a 13.66 and earned 40 points. Freshman Abby Halligan (Lehigh, Iowa) also earned 10 points with a 13.69 to place sixth in the first go-round.
The team roping pair of Freshman Annabelle Kindred (Downs, Ill.) and Freshman Jaxson DeVoe Siloam Springs, Ark.) earned 30 points after finishing fourth in the first go-round with an 8.8.
The rodeo teams placed first overall in both the men's and women's standings. The men's team earned 625 points, to finish in front of second place Tennesse-Martin's 485 points. The women's team earned 485 points, finishing ahead of Pearl River (Miss.) at 150 points.
Up next, the Viking rodeo teams will next be in competition at the Arkansas Tech rodeo in Searcy, Ark., Thursday through Saturday.
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Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.