ENMU RODEO, TRACK: Women win second consecutive rodeo title

STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Eastern New Mexico University's women captured their second consecutive rodeo team title over the weekend, winning the Tarleton State rodeo with 375 points to 265 for runnerup Western Texas College.

The Zias finished third for the year in Southwest Region competition, scoring 1,530 points to trail only Tarleton (2,730 5/6) and Texas Tech (1,761 2/3).

Meantime, the ENMU men were fourth over the weekend, scoring 260 points to finish behind Tarleton State (585), Odessa College (400) and Western Texas College (340). The Greyhounds were fifth in the region for the year with 2,522 points, trailing Tarleton (5,845 5/6), Odessa (4,046 2/3), South Plains College (2,780) and Vernon College (2,552).

ENMU is sending two men and two women to the College National Finals Rodeo, scheduled for June 9-15 at Casper, Wyo. They are junior Logan Medlin, first in the region in team roping (heeler), and freshman Cade Passig, third in team roping (heeler), for the men, and juniors Katelyn Lide, second in goat tying, and TiAda Gray, third in breakaway roping, for the women.

Senior Jessie Kirkes won the women's all-around title at Tarleton, taking third in breakaway roping while finishing second in the first go of goat tying, while Gray was fourth and Darcy Clark fifth in breakaway.

Freshman Macy Devenport took first in goat tying, winning the short go and average as well after splitting third, fourth and fifth in the first go.

Medlin and Tarleton's Billy Bob Brown won team roping, taking first in the average, short go and first go, while senior Christian Pettigrew split third and fourth in steer wrestling.

Track — ENMU sophomore Kaspars Briska captured first place on Saturday in the 5,000 meters in the Beach Track & Field Invitational, hosted by Cerritos College in Long Beach, Calif.

Running the event for the first time this spring, Briska posted a time of 14 minutes, 52.09 seconds for a margin of just under three seconds over his nearest competitor. In the same meet, sophomore Alesha Jones was 44th in a field of 110 runners — many from Division I schools — in the 800 with a time of 2:14.95.

On Thursday, Briska finished ninth in the 3,000 steeplechase Open A Division at the Mt. Sac Relays in Walnut, Calif., posted his second-best time of the season in the event at 9:05.70. On Friday in the same meet, Jones placed sixth in section five of the women's 800 with a time of 2:13.57.

ENMU track squads are scheduled to compete on Thursday in the Red Raider Open track meet at Lubbock, hosted by Texas Tech.