ENMU squad pleased with home rodeo

Freedom New Mexico

Junior cowboy Cole Jackson helped the Eastern New Mexico Greyhound rodeo team secure a third-place finish at the weekend’s College Daze Rodeo at Portales’ Lewis Cooper Arena.

“Really and truly, I thought the boys team had a good rodeo,” first-year ENMU rodeo coach Albert Finn said.

West Texas College took first place, followed by Vernon College and ENMU.

“When you just look at the little things that happen, they kept us from being first,” Finn said. “And (it kept us) from having a really good point total.”

Jackson turned in a first-place performance in the short round, a solid average in team roping and a third-place finish in steer wrestling — all of which were good enough to earn Jackson all-around cowboy honors.

Jackson also took second place in the short round of steer wrestling. Sophomore Rankin Lindsey claimed first place in bull riding, turning in the highest score in each of the short round and the long round.

Senior Kyle Roberts registered a fifth place finish in the team roping competition, with a second place performance in the long round.

“I think for our first rodeo of the year,” Finn said, “starting out in third place will give us the momentum to continue and be in there solid when the Fall semester is over with.”

The Zias got eighth place, as junior Kacey Kobza earned the Zias’ only points, splitting fifth and sixth place in the goat tying competition with a time of 7.5 seconds.

“We have three (rodeos) left and if we can do as well at them three as we did here, I think we’ll be contenders in the region,” Finn said.

The Greyhounds and Zias travel to the Sul Ross State rodeo Oct. 2.