CHASING HISTORY: Bobcats Look to Add to Championship Legacy in 2023 CNFR Championship Go
6/17/2023 2:20:00 PM | Men's Rodeo, Women's Rodeo
Tayla Moeykens, Paige Rasmussen look for second crowns
Tayla Moeykens and Paige Rasmussen look to add to their legacies tonight and a quartet of steer wrestlers look to make history as Montana State wraps up the 2023 College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming. The event streams on ESPN3 beginning at 7 pm.
Moeykens, a junior, enters tonight's competition second in barrel racing, with the opportunity to become Montana State's first two-time in that event. In fact, her 2021 national barrel racing title is MSU's only title in that event. Robbi Nace finished as reserve champion in 2011. Moeykens 10th in barrel racing a year ago, and chases West Alabama's Taycie Matthews, whose aggregate time of 41.59 leads Moeykens' 42.01.
Rasmussen's cumulative 18.3 goat tying mark entering the short go is two ticks behind Kristin Reaves (18.1, Sam Houston State) and one behind Karissa Rayhill (18.2, Eastern Wyoming). Rasmussen finished 12th in the goat tying in 2021, when she won women's all-around honors.
Junior Mike Nannini, who Bobcat coach Kyle Whitaker says "has all the talent in the world," looks to improve on his fifth place finish of a year ago. Nannini stands eighth at 26.0, but has scrambled back into contention after a first round 17.7. He won the second go with a mark of 3.5. Jaden Whitman is third entering the championship round (22.9), Trav Johnson (23.9) is fifth, and Bode Spring is ninth (27.3).
"I'm excited," Whitaker said. "We have a chance in the steer wrestling, and of course with Tayla and Paige. It's going to be a fun night."
Montana State hasn't won an individual championship on the men's side since Jason Jackson's won the bull riding in 1995, a year after capturing top honors in barerback in 1994. The Bobcats claim 21 individual event national crowns in their history, with eight coming between 1988 and 1995.
The Bobcat women's team stands second in the team competition entering Saturday's short go with 288.3 points, chasing West Alabama's 473.3 points. MSU's two most recent team championships came on the women's side in 2021 and 2011. The men's team won most recently in 1995, which capped a run of four titles in eight years.
BOBCATS IN SATURDAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP GO-ROUND
TIE-DOWN ROPING: 7. Bode Spring, 29.7 (9.3-10.7-9.7)
STEER WRESTLING: 3. Jaden Whitman 22.9 (9.1-8.9-4.9); 5. Trav Johnson, 23.9 (12.3-5.6-6.0); 8. Mike Nannini, 26.0 (17.7-3.5-4.8); 9. Bode Spring, 27.3 (11.4-9.0-6.9)
BARREL RACING: 2. Tayla Moeykens, 42.01 (13.85-14.25-13.91)
BREAKAWAWY ROPING: 9. Cate Hepper (2.7-2.5-12.2)
GOAT TYING: 3. Paige Rasmussen (6.2-6.0-6.1)
#GoCatsGo
Moeykens, a junior, enters tonight's competition second in barrel racing, with the opportunity to become Montana State's first two-time in that event. In fact, her 2021 national barrel racing title is MSU's only title in that event. Robbi Nace finished as reserve champion in 2011. Moeykens 10th in barrel racing a year ago, and chases West Alabama's Taycie Matthews, whose aggregate time of 41.59 leads Moeykens' 42.01.
Rasmussen's cumulative 18.3 goat tying mark entering the short go is two ticks behind Kristin Reaves (18.1, Sam Houston State) and one behind Karissa Rayhill (18.2, Eastern Wyoming). Rasmussen finished 12th in the goat tying in 2021, when she won women's all-around honors.
Junior Mike Nannini, who Bobcat coach Kyle Whitaker says "has all the talent in the world," looks to improve on his fifth place finish of a year ago. Nannini stands eighth at 26.0, but has scrambled back into contention after a first round 17.7. He won the second go with a mark of 3.5. Jaden Whitman is third entering the championship round (22.9), Trav Johnson (23.9) is fifth, and Bode Spring is ninth (27.3).
"I'm excited," Whitaker said. "We have a chance in the steer wrestling, and of course with Tayla and Paige. It's going to be a fun night."
Montana State hasn't won an individual championship on the men's side since Jason Jackson's won the bull riding in 1995, a year after capturing top honors in barerback in 1994. The Bobcats claim 21 individual event national crowns in their history, with eight coming between 1988 and 1995.
The Bobcat women's team stands second in the team competition entering Saturday's short go with 288.3 points, chasing West Alabama's 473.3 points. MSU's two most recent team championships came on the women's side in 2021 and 2011. The men's team won most recently in 1995, which capped a run of four titles in eight years.
BOBCATS IN SATURDAY'S CHAMPIONSHIP GO-ROUND
TIE-DOWN ROPING: 7. Bode Spring, 29.7 (9.3-10.7-9.7)
STEER WRESTLING: 3. Jaden Whitman 22.9 (9.1-8.9-4.9); 5. Trav Johnson, 23.9 (12.3-5.6-6.0); 8. Mike Nannini, 26.0 (17.7-3.5-4.8); 9. Bode Spring, 27.3 (11.4-9.0-6.9)
BARREL RACING: 2. Tayla Moeykens, 42.01 (13.85-14.25-13.91)
BREAKAWAWY ROPING: 9. Cate Hepper (2.7-2.5-12.2)
GOAT TYING: 3. Paige Rasmussen (6.2-6.0-6.1)
#GoCatsGo
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Rodeo
/ Women's Rodeo
/ Women's Rodeo
/ Men's Rodeo
/ Men's Rodeo
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