McNeese 67th Annual Rodeo To Be Held At to Burton Coliseum

McNeese State University’s 67^th annual rodeo returns to Burton Coliseum Thursday, Oct. 28, with a special Halloween rodeo at 7:30 p.m. open free to the public.

The competition begins on Friday, Oct. 29, with the slack at noon and performances at 7:30 p.m. and resumes Saturday, Oct. 30, with the slack at 9 a.m. and performances at 6 p.m. Tickets for the McNeese Rodeo are $10 and admission is free for children ages 5 and under. McNeese students get in free with a valid ID. Tickets can be purchased at the gate.

With more than 300 collegiate athletes representing 13 colleges and universities competing in the Southern Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA), the McNeese men’s team currently ranks first in the region and the women’s team is in second place.

The rodeo team has competed in three rodeos this fall as part of the NIRA’s Southern Region competition – the Panola College Rodeo in Tatum, Texas, the Southwest Texas Junior College Rodeo in Uvalde, Texas, and the Northeast Texas Community College in Mount Pleasant, Texas.

At the Panola College Rodeo, the women’s team came in second place and the men’s team in third. For the women’s team, Claire Vincent, Sulphur, took third place in breakaway roping, while Kylie Conner, Welsh, placed fourth in the same event. Conner also placed fifth in barrel racing and second in women’s all around. Katherine Moss, Moss Bluff, tied for fifth place in goat tying with teammate Kati Murphy, Bell City, and Kamryn Duncan, Denham Springs, placed eighth.

For the men’s team, John Mayes, Welsh, took first place in steer wrestling and Gavin Soileau, Bunkie, came in eighth. Ryder Sanford, Carlyss, took first place in saddle bronc riding, while Isaac Richard, Eunice, placed third and Devin Byram, Welsh, came in fourth. In the bareback riding event, Waylon Bourgeois, Church Point, took fourth place and Kade Sonnier, Carencro, placed sixth.

The men’s team took the championship at the Southwest Texas Junior College Rodeo, while the women’s team tied for sixth place with Texas A&M University and Wharton County Junior College. For the men’s team, Sanford placed first and Richard took third place in saddle bronc riding. In bareback riding, Bourgeois won first place and Sonnier fifth. McNeese swept steer wrestling, with Soileau in first place and Mayes in second place.

For the women’s team, Duncan took second place in goat tying and Bailey Mudd, Grand Lake, took seventh place in breakaway roping.

At the Northeast Texas Community College Rodeo, for the women’s team Vincent took second place in breakaway roping and Duncan won first place in goat tying, netting the women’s team the reserve champion title.

For the men’s team, Bourgeois placed second and Sonnier took fifth in bareback riding and Shea Fournier, Raceland, was eighth in bull riding.

For more information about the McNeese Rodeo, call 475-5690.

Persons needing accommodations as provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the ADA Coordinator at 337-475-5428, voice; 337-475-5960, fax; 337-562-4227, TDD/TTY, hearing impaired; or by email at cdo@mcneese.edu.