Photo by: Taylor Allen
Bobcat Women's Rodeo Team turns in Dominant Performance in MSU Spring Rodeo #1 Finals
4/8/2022 11:37:00 PM | Men's Rodeo, Women's Rodeo
Jacee Currin Wins Women's All-Around, while Caleb Berquist wins men's all-around
BOZEMAN, Montana - Montana State junior Paige Rasmussen has accomplished incredible things during her three seasons on the Bobcat rodeo team.
She led her team to a national championship at the College National Finals Rodeo last summer. In so doing, she won an individual all-around title. She even joined her sister Shelby to open this week's rodeo by singing the National Anthem on Thursday. But the one thing she'd never done was compete in a public performance at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, her school's home arena.
Until Friday.
In front of a sellout crowd of over 4,000 fans, Rasmussen won the short go and the average in goat tying and finished third in the average and fourth in the short go in barrel racing to lead the Bobcat women to first place in the finals of the Montana State Spring Rodeo #1. Northwest College edged the MSU men for top honors.
For all her accomplishments, Rasmussen found Friday night's rodeo an immense thrill. "My first year in The Brick!" she exclaimed. "This was way louder than I thought it would be, this was actually louder than the College National Finals Rodeo, and it gets my blood pumping for sure."
The MSU Spring Rodeo was canceled in 2020, and last year was held in a smaller outdoor arena. This year's return to Worthington Arena was greatly anticipated, particularly for those Bobcats who had not experienced it. "All the other kids on the team that have rodeoed in here," she said, "this is all they talk about. This is what we look forward to all year. Besides the national finals, this is our biggest event. And they were right. This is crazy."
"They were unbelievable," Bobcat coach Kyle Whitaker said of his women's team. "It was really fun watching them. When the pressure's on and the crowd's loud, that's when those girls do the best."
While praising the crowd and the environment inside the Fieldhouse, Whitaker said one moment stood out. "I got goosebumps during Paige's run when the crowd got so loud. It's a pretty special college environment."
Jacee Currin won the women's all-around title for the Bobcats. She finished second in the average in goat tying, third in breakaway roping, and fourth in barrel racing. MSU's Tayla Moeykens won the barrel racing. Molly Salmond finished second in breakaway roping.
Montana State's most experienced an accomplished men's performer, Caleb Berquist, won men's all-around honors and tie-down roping while finishing fifth in team roping, and sixth in steer wrestling.
Returning to the Fieldhouse also provided the returning CNFR Reserve Champion a spark. "It's a special moment, especially being my senior year," Berquist said. "We got cut two years short, one being Covid, and last year we had to be outside, again because of Covid. My freshman year, I will be honest, I was fortunate enough to win it then, and I've dreamed of this moment since then."
While Montana State's men fell short in the team standings, Whitaker said the issue was having a few athletes on the scoring roster that fell short of expectations. "A few guys I put on the points team struggled a little bit, and that's the risk you take when you have a lot of good guys. There were guys that weren't on the points team that did good, like Jace Bustad, the freshman, and Bode Spring, from Bozeman, they did good."
The second rodeo of this year's MSU Spring Rodeo begins with slack during the day Saturday and continues with the public performance at 7 pm in Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. The entire four-day event concludes with Sunday's public performance at 1 pm.
TEAM AND ALL-AROUND STANDINGS/MSU Spring Rodeo #1 Final Results
Rodeo #1 Men's Team Standings
Score Team
720 - Northwest College (Wyo.)
620 - Montana State University
Rodeo #1 Women's Team Standings
Score Team
645 - Montana State
185 - MSU Northern
Rodeo #1 Men's All-Around
Score Competitor School
280 Caleb Berquist Montana State
Rodeo #1 Women's All-Around
Score Competitor School
285 Jacee Currin Montana State
AVERAGE
Saddle Bronc Riding
Score Competitor School Team Pts
127/2 Cunningham, Garrett Tyler MSUN 60
Steer Wrestling
10.9 Harrison, Bryce Joseph UMTW 60
11.9 Sigman, Timothy James UMTW 50
13.7 Woolstenhulme, Paden Wade NWC 40
14.2 Stensrud, Ethan James UMTW 30
14.9 Bustad, Jase Hunter MTSU 20
15.9 Berquist, Caleb Shane MTSU 10
Goat Tying
12.7 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 60
13.6 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 50
14.3 Rogers, Kaycee Lynn UMTW 40
14.7 Wolstein, Haven Grace MTSU 30
15.3 Schroeder, McKenna Wolf UMTW 20
15.4 Stevens, Jessica Ranae DAWSON 10
Team Roping
15.5 York, Sylais/Gordon, Spencer NWC/NWC 60
19.9 Johnson, Clay/Faulkner, Cody MTSU/MTSU 50
22.2 Woolstenhulme, Paden/Wallace, Hagen NWC/NWC 40
22.6 Ramirez, Edward/Cerini, Jake UMTW 30
34.3 Berquist, Caleb/Leno, Teegan MTSU/MTSU 20
7.0/1 Trexler, Cole/Setzer, Tristen MILES/MILES 10
Bareback Riding
139 Kay, Trevor William UMTW 60
73/1 Dearhamer, Nathaniel Austin MTSU 50
Breakaway Roping
5.1 Schauer, Mikenna Raye NMTC 60
5.3 Salmond, Molly Mae MTSU 50
5.8 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 40
6.4 Hepper, Cate MTSU 30
15.8 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 20
2.4/1 Lufkin, Ryland Ann UMTW 10
Tie Down Roping
18.2 Berquist, Caleb Shane MTSU 60
20.4 Smith, Logan James NWC 50
20.6 York, Sylais Kain NWC 40
21.5 Bustad, Jase Hunter MTSU 30
24.8 Spring, Bode William Carter MTSU 20
10.0/1 Nannini, Michael Henry MTSU 10
Barrel Racing
28.61 Moeykens, Tayla Annmarie MTSU 60
29.45 Carlson, Ashtyn Bree UMT 50
29.46 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 40
29.49 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 30
29.55 Rasmussen, Shelby Rae MTSU 20
33.63 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 10
Bull Riding
No qualifying rides
SHORT GO
Saddle Bronc Riding
Score Competitor School Team Pts
55 Cunningham, Garrett Tyler MSUN 60
52 Trexler, Cole Clifford MILES 50
Steer Wrestling
5.3 Harrison, Bryce Joseph UMTW 60
5.8 Berquist, Caleb Shane MTSU 50
6 Stensrud, Ethan James UMTW 40
6.8 Bustad, Jase Hunter MTSU 30
7.3 Woolstenhulme, Paden Wade NWC 20
7.7 Sigman, Timothy James UMTW 10
Goat Tying
6.3 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 60
6.5 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 50
7.1 Wolstein, Haven Grace MTSU 40
7.5 Schroeder, McKenna Wolf UMTW 30
7.6 Rogers, Kaycee Lynn UMTW 20
8.1 Anderson, Rylee Kira MTSU 10
Team Roping
7.3 Ramirez, Edward/Cerini, Jake UMTW 60
8 York, Sylais/Gordon, Spencer NWC/NWC 50
11 Johnson, Clay/Faulkner, Cody MTSU/MTSU 40
11.1 Woolstenhulme, Paden/Wallace, Hagen NWC/NWC 30
12.4 Berquist, Caleb/Leno, Teegan MTSU/MTSU 20
Bareback Riding
74 Kay, Trevor William UMTW 60
Breakaway Roping
2.4 Salmond, Molly Mae MTSU 60
2.7 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 50
3.1 Schauer, Mikenna Raye NMTC 40
3.7 Hepper, Cate MTSU 30
12.8 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 20
Tie Down Roping
9.4 Berquist, Caleb Shane MTSU 60
9.5 Bustad, Jase Hunter MTSU 50
10.2 York, Sylais Kain NWC 40
10.6 Smith, Logan James NWC 30
13.0 Spring, Bode William Carter MTSU 20
Barrel Racing
14.11 Moeykens, Tayla Annmarie MTSU 60
14.48 Carlson, Ashtyn Bree UMT 50
14.8 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 40
14.86 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 30
14.88 Rasmussen, Shelby Rae MTSU 20
19.37 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 10
Bull Riding
No qualifying rides
LONG GO
Saddle Bronc Riding
Score Competitor School Team Pts
72 Cunningham, Garrett Tyler MSUN 60
Steer Wrestling
4.2 Sigman, Timothy James UMTW 60
5.6 Harrison, Bryce Joseph UMTW 50
6.4 Spring, Bode William Carter MTSU 35
6.4 Woolstenhulme, Paden Wade NWC 35
7.2 Faulkner, Cody Michael MTSU 20
8.1 Bustad, Jase Hunter MTSU 10
Goat Tying
6.4 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 60
6.7 Rogers, Kaycee Lynn UMTW 50
6.8 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 40
7.1 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 25
7.1 Brewer, Shantell Eloise MTSU 25
7.2 Schauer, Mikenna Raye MSUN 5
7.2 Stevens, Jessica Ranae DCC 5
Team Roping
7 Trexler, Cole/Setzer, Tristen MCC/MCC 60
7.2 Dempewolf, Trey/McAmis, Tee DCC/DCC 50
7.5 York, Sylais/Gordon, Spencer NWC/NWC 40
8.9 Johnson, Clay/Faulkner, Cody MTSU/MTSU 30
9.3 Carl, Cheyanne/Klind, Trevor UMT/UMT 20
9.6 Schmiedeke, Kayla/Mullanix, Peyton MTSU/DCC 10
Bareback Riding
73 Dearhamer, Nathaniel Austin MTSU 60
65 Kay, Trevor William UMTW 50
Breakaway Roping
2.0 Schauer, Mikenna Raye MSUN 60
2.4 Lufkin, Ryland Ann UMTW 50
2.7 Hepper, Cate MTSU 35
2.7 Williams, Michelle Teresa MTSU 35
2.8 Fossum, Isabella Alice MTSU 20
2.9 Salmond, Molly Mae MTSU 5
2.9 Beasley, Harley Kay UMTW 5
Tie Down Roping
8.8 Berquist, Caleb Shane MTSU 60
9.8 Smith, Logan James NWC 50
10.0 Nannini, Michael Henry MTSU 40
10.3 Cathey, Maclain Lyle MTSU 30
10.4 Trexler, Cole Clifford MILES 15
10.4 York, Sylais Kain NWC 15
Barrel Racing
14.26 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 60
14.5 Moeykens, Tayla Annmarie MTSU 50
14.57 Schroeder, McKenna Wolf UMTW 40
14.6 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 30
14.62 Williamson, Kassidy Taylor MSUN 20
14.67 Rasmussen, Shelby Rae MTSU 10
Bull Riding
No qualifying rides
#GoCatsGo
She led her team to a national championship at the College National Finals Rodeo last summer. In so doing, she won an individual all-around title. She even joined her sister Shelby to open this week's rodeo by singing the National Anthem on Thursday. But the one thing she'd never done was compete in a public performance at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, her school's home arena.
Until Friday.
In front of a sellout crowd of over 4,000 fans, Rasmussen won the short go and the average in goat tying and finished third in the average and fourth in the short go in barrel racing to lead the Bobcat women to first place in the finals of the Montana State Spring Rodeo #1. Northwest College edged the MSU men for top honors.
For all her accomplishments, Rasmussen found Friday night's rodeo an immense thrill. "My first year in The Brick!" she exclaimed. "This was way louder than I thought it would be, this was actually louder than the College National Finals Rodeo, and it gets my blood pumping for sure."
The MSU Spring Rodeo was canceled in 2020, and last year was held in a smaller outdoor arena. This year's return to Worthington Arena was greatly anticipated, particularly for those Bobcats who had not experienced it. "All the other kids on the team that have rodeoed in here," she said, "this is all they talk about. This is what we look forward to all year. Besides the national finals, this is our biggest event. And they were right. This is crazy."
"They were unbelievable," Bobcat coach Kyle Whitaker said of his women's team. "It was really fun watching them. When the pressure's on and the crowd's loud, that's when those girls do the best."
While praising the crowd and the environment inside the Fieldhouse, Whitaker said one moment stood out. "I got goosebumps during Paige's run when the crowd got so loud. It's a pretty special college environment."
Jacee Currin won the women's all-around title for the Bobcats. She finished second in the average in goat tying, third in breakaway roping, and fourth in barrel racing. MSU's Tayla Moeykens won the barrel racing. Molly Salmond finished second in breakaway roping.
Montana State's most experienced an accomplished men's performer, Caleb Berquist, won men's all-around honors and tie-down roping while finishing fifth in team roping, and sixth in steer wrestling.
Returning to the Fieldhouse also provided the returning CNFR Reserve Champion a spark. "It's a special moment, especially being my senior year," Berquist said. "We got cut two years short, one being Covid, and last year we had to be outside, again because of Covid. My freshman year, I will be honest, I was fortunate enough to win it then, and I've dreamed of this moment since then."
While Montana State's men fell short in the team standings, Whitaker said the issue was having a few athletes on the scoring roster that fell short of expectations. "A few guys I put on the points team struggled a little bit, and that's the risk you take when you have a lot of good guys. There were guys that weren't on the points team that did good, like Jace Bustad, the freshman, and Bode Spring, from Bozeman, they did good."
The second rodeo of this year's MSU Spring Rodeo begins with slack during the day Saturday and continues with the public performance at 7 pm in Brick Breeden Fieldhouse. The entire four-day event concludes with Sunday's public performance at 1 pm.
TEAM AND ALL-AROUND STANDINGS/MSU Spring Rodeo #1 Final Results
Rodeo #1 Men's Team Standings
Score Team
720 - Northwest College (Wyo.)
620 - Montana State University
Rodeo #1 Women's Team Standings
Score Team
645 - Montana State
185 - MSU Northern
Rodeo #1 Men's All-Around
Score Competitor School
280 Caleb Berquist Montana State
Rodeo #1 Women's All-Around
Score Competitor School
285 Jacee Currin Montana State
AVERAGE
Saddle Bronc Riding
Score Competitor School Team Pts
127/2 Cunningham, Garrett Tyler MSUN 60
Steer Wrestling
10.9 Harrison, Bryce Joseph UMTW 60
11.9 Sigman, Timothy James UMTW 50
13.7 Woolstenhulme, Paden Wade NWC 40
14.2 Stensrud, Ethan James UMTW 30
14.9 Bustad, Jase Hunter MTSU 20
15.9 Berquist, Caleb Shane MTSU 10
Goat Tying
12.7 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 60
13.6 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 50
14.3 Rogers, Kaycee Lynn UMTW 40
14.7 Wolstein, Haven Grace MTSU 30
15.3 Schroeder, McKenna Wolf UMTW 20
15.4 Stevens, Jessica Ranae DAWSON 10
Team Roping
15.5 York, Sylais/Gordon, Spencer NWC/NWC 60
19.9 Johnson, Clay/Faulkner, Cody MTSU/MTSU 50
22.2 Woolstenhulme, Paden/Wallace, Hagen NWC/NWC 40
22.6 Ramirez, Edward/Cerini, Jake UMTW 30
34.3 Berquist, Caleb/Leno, Teegan MTSU/MTSU 20
7.0/1 Trexler, Cole/Setzer, Tristen MILES/MILES 10
Bareback Riding
139 Kay, Trevor William UMTW 60
73/1 Dearhamer, Nathaniel Austin MTSU 50
Breakaway Roping
5.1 Schauer, Mikenna Raye NMTC 60
5.3 Salmond, Molly Mae MTSU 50
5.8 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 40
6.4 Hepper, Cate MTSU 30
15.8 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 20
2.4/1 Lufkin, Ryland Ann UMTW 10
Tie Down Roping
18.2 Berquist, Caleb Shane MTSU 60
20.4 Smith, Logan James NWC 50
20.6 York, Sylais Kain NWC 40
21.5 Bustad, Jase Hunter MTSU 30
24.8 Spring, Bode William Carter MTSU 20
10.0/1 Nannini, Michael Henry MTSU 10
Barrel Racing
28.61 Moeykens, Tayla Annmarie MTSU 60
29.45 Carlson, Ashtyn Bree UMT 50
29.46 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 40
29.49 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 30
29.55 Rasmussen, Shelby Rae MTSU 20
33.63 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 10
Bull Riding
No qualifying rides
SHORT GO
Saddle Bronc Riding
Score Competitor School Team Pts
55 Cunningham, Garrett Tyler MSUN 60
52 Trexler, Cole Clifford MILES 50
Steer Wrestling
5.3 Harrison, Bryce Joseph UMTW 60
5.8 Berquist, Caleb Shane MTSU 50
6 Stensrud, Ethan James UMTW 40
6.8 Bustad, Jase Hunter MTSU 30
7.3 Woolstenhulme, Paden Wade NWC 20
7.7 Sigman, Timothy James UMTW 10
Goat Tying
6.3 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 60
6.5 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 50
7.1 Wolstein, Haven Grace MTSU 40
7.5 Schroeder, McKenna Wolf UMTW 30
7.6 Rogers, Kaycee Lynn UMTW 20
8.1 Anderson, Rylee Kira MTSU 10
Team Roping
7.3 Ramirez, Edward/Cerini, Jake UMTW 60
8 York, Sylais/Gordon, Spencer NWC/NWC 50
11 Johnson, Clay/Faulkner, Cody MTSU/MTSU 40
11.1 Woolstenhulme, Paden/Wallace, Hagen NWC/NWC 30
12.4 Berquist, Caleb/Leno, Teegan MTSU/MTSU 20
Bareback Riding
74 Kay, Trevor William UMTW 60
Breakaway Roping
2.4 Salmond, Molly Mae MTSU 60
2.7 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 50
3.1 Schauer, Mikenna Raye NMTC 40
3.7 Hepper, Cate MTSU 30
12.8 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 20
Tie Down Roping
9.4 Berquist, Caleb Shane MTSU 60
9.5 Bustad, Jase Hunter MTSU 50
10.2 York, Sylais Kain NWC 40
10.6 Smith, Logan James NWC 30
13.0 Spring, Bode William Carter MTSU 20
Barrel Racing
14.11 Moeykens, Tayla Annmarie MTSU 60
14.48 Carlson, Ashtyn Bree UMT 50
14.8 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 40
14.86 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 30
14.88 Rasmussen, Shelby Rae MTSU 20
19.37 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 10
Bull Riding
No qualifying rides
LONG GO
Saddle Bronc Riding
Score Competitor School Team Pts
72 Cunningham, Garrett Tyler MSUN 60
Steer Wrestling
4.2 Sigman, Timothy James UMTW 60
5.6 Harrison, Bryce Joseph UMTW 50
6.4 Spring, Bode William Carter MTSU 35
6.4 Woolstenhulme, Paden Wade NWC 35
7.2 Faulkner, Cody Michael MTSU 20
8.1 Bustad, Jase Hunter MTSU 10
Goat Tying
6.4 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 60
6.7 Rogers, Kaycee Lynn UMTW 50
6.8 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 40
7.1 Currin, Jacee Mae MTSU 25
7.1 Brewer, Shantell Eloise MTSU 25
7.2 Schauer, Mikenna Raye MSUN 5
7.2 Stevens, Jessica Ranae DCC 5
Team Roping
7 Trexler, Cole/Setzer, Tristen MCC/MCC 60
7.2 Dempewolf, Trey/McAmis, Tee DCC/DCC 50
7.5 York, Sylais/Gordon, Spencer NWC/NWC 40
8.9 Johnson, Clay/Faulkner, Cody MTSU/MTSU 30
9.3 Carl, Cheyanne/Klind, Trevor UMT/UMT 20
9.6 Schmiedeke, Kayla/Mullanix, Peyton MTSU/DCC 10
Bareback Riding
73 Dearhamer, Nathaniel Austin MTSU 60
65 Kay, Trevor William UMTW 50
Breakaway Roping
2.0 Schauer, Mikenna Raye MSUN 60
2.4 Lufkin, Ryland Ann UMTW 50
2.7 Hepper, Cate MTSU 35
2.7 Williams, Michelle Teresa MTSU 35
2.8 Fossum, Isabella Alice MTSU 20
2.9 Salmond, Molly Mae MTSU 5
2.9 Beasley, Harley Kay UMTW 5
Tie Down Roping
8.8 Berquist, Caleb Shane MTSU 60
9.8 Smith, Logan James NWC 50
10.0 Nannini, Michael Henry MTSU 40
10.3 Cathey, Maclain Lyle MTSU 30
10.4 Trexler, Cole Clifford MILES 15
10.4 York, Sylais Kain NWC 15
Barrel Racing
14.26 Garrison, Hailey Elizabeth MTSU 60
14.5 Moeykens, Tayla Annmarie MTSU 50
14.57 Schroeder, McKenna Wolf UMTW 40
14.6 Rasmussen, Paige Noel MTSU 30
14.62 Williamson, Kassidy Taylor MSUN 20
14.67 Rasmussen, Shelby Rae MTSU 10
Bull Riding
No qualifying rides
#GoCatsGo
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Rodeo
/ Women's Rodeo
/ Women's Rodeo
/ Women's Rodeo
/ Women's Rodeo
/ Men's Rodeo
Wednesday, June 10
Friday, March 27
Friday, March 13
Thursday, March 12
