The Maverick rodeo team put on quite the show during their annual Maverick Stampede. McKenna Clingman finished first and led the women during their overall team win while Kayden Anderson won the men’s individual rodeo.
Spectators at the event may have noticed that seating was hard to come by. In fact, the high attendance set a Colorado Mesa University (CMU) rodeo record and helped the club fundraise around $20,000 in profit that gets reinvested back into the program.
“We were just thrilled, it was amazing that so many people showed up. Based on our numbers, that was easily the largest attendance we’ve had in any college rodeo. I want to tell everyone who attended thank you. It’s so humbling to see those people come out there and genuinely enjoy themselves,” Head Coach Branden Edwards said.
The popularity rodeo now receives is the culmination of the work the coaching staff and athletes have put towards developing the program. When Edwards first took over the program in 2018, there were only four members of the team. Now, CMU boasts 30 students on the roster and the nation’s first ranked women’s team.
Multiple rodeo athletes put up outstanding showings at the Mesa County Fairgrounds on April 12. Clingman, the former two-time regional champion, won the women’s individual rodeo. The program veteran is now ranked fourth in the country in the All-Around category. Behind her, teammates Wylee Mitchell and Justise Jones finished fourth and fifth respectively. Nationally, Mitchell is #2 in the Barrel Racing category while Jones is right behind Clingman with a sixth-place All-Around ranking.
“This is my fifth year of college rodeo and it is always such an amazing experience to compete in front of a home crowd. The excitement and adrenaline is unmatched. I never expect to win but I work hard and prepare myself during the week so I can go into the weekend with confidence in my abilities. I never go to beat the girls around me but to beat the girl in the mirror,” Clingman said.
The men are sometimes overshadowed by how dominant the women are. With only four members, the team competes two spots shorthanded every rodeo. This means that while the team as a whole may not put up a lot of points during a rodeo, the individuals can still score and qualify themselves for Nationals in June.
Anderson accomplished just this when he won the men’s rodeo that night as well. This was especially significant for Anderson because as a freshman last year, he dislocated his shoulder right before the Maverick Stampede and had to miss the first semester of this season as well. Now, in his first ever home rodeo, he took the win and mathematically qualified himself for nationals in the Saddle Bronc Riding category.
“It took him about a full year to get healthy. He’s come back and been able to compete in four rodeos. Despite missing last semester, he has been able to claw back his way back up to third place in the regional standings. He’s doing really well individually,” Edwards said.
CMU will compete in one more rodeo at Utah Valley University (UVU) on April 26 before gearing up for a national run in June. Not only will it be the final regular season rodeo but UVU’s women’s team is ranked second behind the Mavericks with just over 800 points separating the two. Thus, that rodeo holds special significance for the CMU women.
“The last rodeo is always a high pressure point for a lot of competitors. It’s where you either make it to nationals or not. My mindset going into the weekend will be to give 110%. I have nothing to lose so I might as well give it my all,” Clingman said.
