Roukema Wins SPC Rodeo, Gonzales & Roukema Qualify for CNFR

The Thunderbirds will send Teagan Taylor-Roukema and Treyden Gonzales to the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, WY after they qualified in the team roping and tie down roping via their finish at the SPC Rodeo on Saturday, April 25.

Teagan Taylor-Roukema won his second rodeo of the season at the SPC rodeo this week. He has made the Short Round in seven of the 10 rodeos this year. The Bayfield, Colorado native won the Caprock Region as a heeler in the team roping earning an automatic bid to the CNFR in Casper, WY. He finished the season with 855 points which was 275 points ahead of second place.   

"Teagan and Jacob's (ENMU) goal from day one of their partnership was to win a national title this year," NMJC men's rodeo head coach Stewy Kinley said. "It'll be exciting to watch for sure! I'm expecting them to make a run for it!"

Roukema was ninth in the Long Round of the SPC Rodeo team roping with an 8.9 second finish. The sophomore made a fantastic run in the short go with a time of 4.7 seconds. Roukema was one of two team ropers to complete the Short Round. Roukema placed first in the Short Round and was first in the average picking up 60 points in each category to end the rodeo as the champion with 120 points. 

"Teagan's goal Saturday was to win the Short Round and see what happens," Coach Kinley said. "They did exactly that and when you put pressure on at the start of an event, sometimes it causes the rest of the roping to fall apart. They had such a great year and finished it off with a statement!"

Treyden Gonzales came through when it counted in the tie down roping. The freshman was tied for third place in the Caprock Region for the tie down and needed a solid finish to move up the standings for an automatic qualification to CNFR. 

Gonzales was third in the Long Round with a time of 10 seconds to earn 40 points. He won the Short Round with an 8.7 second run for 60 more points and was second in the average for 50 additional points. Gonzales ended the rodeo with 150 points. The finish moved him into second place in the Caprock Region tie down roping standings with 645 points and qualified him for the CNFR in June.

"Treyden has impressed us so much this year," Coach Kinley said. "He's talented, ropes smart, always hustles and doesn't let pressure get to him. He drew pretty decent this weekend and showed us why he deserves to go to Casper. I think he makes that same run up there at the CNFR as well and he's dangerous because he can do it four times in a row, no problem!"

Connor Box slid his way into the tie down roping short go with a 10th place finish in the Long Round at 12.1 seconds. He was fourth in the short go with a 9.2 second run to earn 30 points. Box tied for fourth in the average to add 25 points.   

Cash Trexler won the Long Round of the tie down roping with a time of 8.6 seconds to earn 60 points. His calf kicked free in the short go which made him a no time.  

"Cash drew a really good one and ran through him over there for the win of the Long Round," Coach Kinley said. "He didn't draw very well in the short go and that calf got up but he roped well. Connor did a good job coming from behind and making a good short go run to move up and get some points in the average. Both of these guys have been great this year."

Jace Beierbach finished fourth in the Long Round of the steer wrestling with a time of 7.1 seconds. He was also fourth in the short go with a finish of 8.8 seconds that notched himself 30 more points. Beierbach tied for second in the average for an additional 45 points. The freshman finished the rodeo with 105 points. Bierbach ended the year in ninth place in the Caprock Region steer wrestling standings.

"Jace really did finish the season strong he really did," Coach Kinley said. "He's bulldogged well at the last three rodeos. He's been so gritty even though he was banged up a bit this week. We're really proud of the way he finished off the season!"

Cash Yule and Kelson McCuaig were fifth with a time of 7.4 seconds in the Long Round of the team roping earning 20 points. They were a no time in the short go.  

Gunnar Tipton and Slaton Harkins picked up 10 points in the Long Round with a 7.6 second run. The pair were a no time in the Short Round.  

"We have a really talented group of team ropers on this team and a lot of them," Coach Kinley said. "There's been no surprises that we'd fill up the Short Rounds and these guys would get some points. We're really proud of the team as a whole and we've won the last four rodeos in this event. We've seen a lot of improvement from them. A lot of them will be back next year as well."

Lucas Ozirney notched 30 points in the Long Round of the bull riding with a score of 72 points. He was a no score in the Short Round but picked up 20 points in the average. Ozirney finished the year in fifth place in the Caprock Region bull riding standings.

Jestin Jacklin recorded a 62 in the Long Round of the bull riding earning 10 points after a sixth-place finish. He was a no score in the short go but did pick up an additional 10 points in the average. Jacklin finished the year in ninth place in the Caprock Region bull riding standings.

"Lucas and Jestin have been on a roll and started some awesome rides in the Short Round," Coach Kinley said. "Jestin got called for a slap at 7.9 otherwise he'd have moved up as well. These guys rode good when they came in but they're on a whole new level now. I'm looking forward to seeing how much they win this summer and having them back in the fall!"

The Thunderbirds finish the inaugural season of the Caprock Region in fifth place with 3,300 points.

"The new region is fantastic," Coach Kinley said. "It was a bit different the first few rodeos but now that we're used to it, it's been such a blessing. It's been competitive but also given us a chance to help our athletes learn to win. It's allowed us to change our team goals and raise the bar for what we expect from ourselves and with the growth in this program, I'm really excited for our future!"

Roukema and Gonzales will compete at the College National Final Rodeo in Casper, WY starting June 15.