Lopes Win Two Buckles in Gillette

The Lamar Community College Rodeo team had a successful weekend of competition, bringing back buckles in two events.  The rodeo was held on March 18-20 in Gillette, Wyoming.

Freshman Kadyn Hicks (Nunn, Colorado) secured a first place finish in steer wrestling over the weekend.  With a time of 6.6 seconds in the long go and 5.9 in the short, his final time of 12.5 seconds earned him first place and the buckle.  Hicks picked up 130 points over the weekend, putting him in third place in the Central Rocky Mountain Region.

Sophomore Ashten Marchant (Newcastle, Wyoming) earned her own buckle in goat tying.  She finished with a time of 7.6 seconds in the long go and 7.1 in the short for a final time of 14.7, tying Chadron’s Shelby Winchell for first place.  Marchant gained 65 points with this win, moving her up to third place in the Central Rocky Mountain regional standings.

“Both Ashten and Kadyn finished fifth on their first go-round and came back and got first in the short-go to win their events,” stated LCC Head Coach Fred Sherwood.  “Both are working hard this spring and have a good chance of securing a CNFR qualification.”

The region’s top three athletes in each event qualify to compete at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR).  Marchant and Hicks are both currently in the third place, and neither are far behind the second place contenders in their respective events.

The Lopes Rodeo team will compete next in Fort Collins, Colorado, on April 8-10.