Champions Crowned at College National Finals Rodeo
Susan Kanode

           

CASPER, Wyo. --- It’s been a long time coming for at least two of the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) champions.

Jordan Muncy-Taton has qualified for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s championship event three times without ever winning a title and Taylor Nahrgang four times. At the 62^nd annual rodeo, Muncy-Taton earned the breakaway and all-around titles and Nahrgang won the steer wrestling.

Nahrgang, who is also the student president graduated from Montana State University, Western. He won the steer wrestling title by nearly a second with a total time of 18.1 seconds. Finishing in second place was Jason Schaffer from Howard College who won the final round with a 4.1 second run. Schaffer had a total time of 19.0 seconds.

Muncy-Taton, the younger sister of Taos Muncy who won the saddle bronc riding title here in 2007, took her championships for the same school, Panhandle State University at Goodwell, Okla. The native of Corona, N.M., had a total time of 11.8 seconds on four runs for the breakaway championship. She earned the all-around by competing in goat tying and barrel racing as well. She finished fifth over-all in barrel racing. She had a total of 355 points to earn the all-around title finishing ahead of Chelsea Moore from Gillette (Wyo.) College who had 310.

All of the other champions were either first or second time qualifiers. Ty Breuer from Central Wyoming College won the bareback riding with 319 points on four head. This is his second qualification.

The tie-down roping title went to Ryan Bothum, a second-generation contestant from Hermiston, Ore. This is his first qualification. He had a total time of 42.6 seconds on four runs. His father David competed in the saddle bronc riding at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.

It was the first qualification for both Kaleb Asay and Isaac Diaz who tied for the saddle bronc riding title. Both of these men have had success in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) already. Asay, who is attending Vernon College was the PRCA rookie of the year in 2008. Diaz, a junior at Tarleton State University has qualified for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo twice. They tied for the championship here with 306.5 points each.

The men’s all-around was also a tie. Caleb Smidt from Wharton County Junior College and Jason Schaffer from Howard County Junior College each had 265 points. It was the first qualification for both of them.

The men’s team went to Vernon (Texas) College and the women’s was won by Wyoming’s own Gillette College.