Gonzalez & Hatley Win at Sul Ross State Rodeo
T-Birds Lyvan Gonzalez and Cason Hatley won the team roping at the Sul Ross State University Rodeo Saturday, Sept. 28.
The duo initially finished in a tie for fourth in the Long Round of the team roping with a time of 5.9 seconds to earn 15 points.
"Lyvan and Cason did a really good job this weekend at Sul Ross," men's rodeo head coach Stewy Kinley said. "It all started with drawing well and making a solid run on their first steer. They roped aggressively and didn't get in a hurry in the Long Round. That first run held on for a split of 4th place."
The Short Round is where the freshmen shined. Gonzalez and Hatley recorded the fastest time in the Short Round with a finish of 4.8 seconds. The time was 1.1 seconds faster than the next best finisher in the round and was the fastest overall finish by .50 seconds. The T-Bird faithful added another 60 points with the first-place finish in the Short Round and 60 more points for the first place average.
"In the short round, they drew the best steer in the pen, the one that the first round was won on. We knew he was a bit slower and stepped left. A lot of the cattle this weekend stepped right and were hard to haze so we were happy to avoid that. These guys stuck to the game plan and just went out and made their run. That's how it's supposed to work out. When you draw well, you're supposed to win, and Lyvan and Cason made it look easy."
Gonzalez and Hatley brought the total points earned from competition to 135 points each. The T-Birds now sit in eighth place in the Southwest Region Standings with 315 total points.
"As far as having a pair of freshmen helping get us some points, it always feels good, especially this early in the season," Kinley said. "We only have 10 rodeos to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) so for them to break the ice at our second rodeo puts us in a good spot. It also gives them confidence to win and go do it again at the next one."
The Thunderbirds have waited more than a year since their last rodeo win. Chase Skocdopole and Stran Pollitt were the last members to win in the team roping and the last to win a rodeo event for the men's team when they placed first April 1, 2023 at the Western Texas College Rodeo. It has been a long time coming Kinley said.
"As far as it being a couple years since we won a rodeo in the team roping, I think it was one of those things we had coming. All of our guys are really talented and work really hard. We rope a lot and these guys jackpot a lot. These rodeos are hard to win. There are over 150 teams entered so it goes back to capitalizing on good draws. Hopefully we can keep it rolling!"
On the women's side, the T-Birds were unable to sneak a competitor into the Short Round this week. Sophomore Codi Reed was 14th in the goat tying alongside freshman Ashley Weber in 23rd place. Freshman Mia Box placed 21st in the breakaway roping and Kyla Kelly finished in 27th place in the same event.
The Thunderbirds have a week off before they saddle up again at the Clarendon College Rodeo Oct. 10-12.