With just one round remaining and what appeared to be a breakthrough for both University of Wyoming rodeo teams at this past summer’s College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), the two teams appeared poised to be among the nation’s elite.

In June, the Cowboys were ranked No. 6 in the nation, while the Cowgirls were ranked No. 10, poised to send a few teams to the short round of the CNFR. But with a tough third round and no points from the short round, both UW teams fell in the final standings. The Cowboys finished the season ranked No. 15, while the Cowgirls finished in No. 19.

Just three months later, coach Seth Glause and his teams have added new members to the roster, but make no mistake: the Cowboys and Cowgirls have set high goals for the fall rodeo season this weekend at the Chadron State College (CSC) rodeo in Nebraska.

Glause says the three main goals for his team in his sophomore year are to achieve a team grade point average above 3.0, win the men’s and women’s Central Rocky Mountain Region (CRMR) titles, and put themselves in position to win a national team championship.

The Cowboys are vying for their seventh consecutive CRMR team title, while the Cowgirls are trying to win for the fifth time in seven years. The UW women have finished second in the region the last two seasons.

“Our teams look sharp as we head into the fall season. I expect us to take advantage of every rodeo,” he said. “We have to put ourselves in a position to be successful in the short rounds on Sunday. I’m confident in the group we have. If we execute what we can, we should have a great year.”

It all begins with the selection of the six-man and four-woman points teams at each of the five fall and spring rodeos. Five of the six men on the points team going into the opening rodeo have CNFR experience:

— David Gallagher, of Brighton, Colo., will compete in team roping, tie down roping and steer wrestling. He qualified for the CNFR in steer wrestling last season and is the reigning regional champion steer wrestler.

–Colton Farrow, of Greybull, returns to bareback riding and also qualified for his first CNFR last season as the third best competitor in the region.

— Rio Nutter, of Rapid City, SD, opens the season in team roping, tie down roping and steer wrestling. He is a two-time CNFR qualifier in team roping and scored the third-most header points last season.

— Jacob Wang, of Baker, Montana, won the 2023 regional steer wrestling title and has one year of experience competing in the finals.

Two new team members are competing for Cowboy points at CSC:

— Dixon Tattrie of Youngstown, Alberta, Canada, is a former Laramie County Community College (LCCC) saddle bronc and bull rider who qualified for last season’s CNFR.

— Rhett Witt, of Valentine, Nebraska, also transferring to LCCC, will compete in team roping, steer wrestling and tie down roping.

Three members of the women’s points team bring a wealth of CNFR experience:

— Riata Day, of Fleming, Colorado, is a three-time CNFR qualifier who will compete in goat tying and barrel racing. She placed third in last season’s CRMR goat tying standings.

— Rayne Grant of Wheatland is one of Glause’s top recruits. The LCCC transfer was the reserve all-around champion at the CNFR last summer, scoring points in barrel racing and breakaway roping. She’ll open the season competing in both events, along with team roping and goat tying. Grant is the reigning regional barrel racing champion and was the reserve all-around champion.

— Landry Haugen, of Sturgis, SD, qualified for last season’s CNFR in her first season and will compete in goat tying, breakaway and team roping, and barrel racing. She was the second-leading breakaway roper in the region last season and placed third in the all-around.

— Veteran cowgirl Josie Mousel, of Egan, SD, will compete in goat tying and breakaway roping this weekend. She was in the top five in both events at the region last season.

Glause will evaluate the points teams each week before each weekend rodeo and is fortunate to have enough depth for both clubs.

“We’re generally very deep, from top to bottom. This helps our new students learn how to compete and be successful in the arena,” he says. “The training has been great and our students really push each other to reach their maximum potential.”