Contact: Maridith Geuder
Several members of the Mississippi State University Rodeo Team hold major honors following their appearances in two recent regional intercollegiate competitions.
Approximately a dozen MSU students joined some 90 others during October for the West Alabama Intercollegiate Rodeo in Livingston, Ala.
Chris Byrd, a sophomore sociology major from Noxapater, teamed with an Arkansas State University student to finish second among 89 teams in the first phase of a team roping event. In the second phase, Byrd and his partner finished third, which led to an overall third-place ranking.
Later in the month at a sanctioned event in Mississippi sponsored by East Central Community College, Paula Touchstone, an MSU sophomore sociology major from Winona, won second-place honors in a barrel racing event featuring more than 90 competitors.
Also in the ECCC competition, Brandon J. "B. J." McClenton, a junior animal and dairy science major from West Point, and Marc Johnston, a junior agricultural economics major from Tillatoba, qualified in eighth place among 86 teams in the first phase of team roping. They went on to place fourth in the finals.
The MSU Rodeo Team was formed more than two decades ago and belongs to the 135-member National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. The Division of Student Affairs-registered organization competes in approximately 10 events each year.
Tommy Shields, an animal and dairy science department instructor, is the MSU Rodeo Team adviser