SDSU sweeps team titles at Nebraska

South Dakota State University senior Hilary VanGerpen, shown competing here at the 2011 Jackrabbit Stampede, placed second in the barrel racing event at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln rodeo over the weekend. VanGerpen and teammates Calyssa Thomas and Taryn Sippel are battling for College National Final Rodeo qualifying spots in barrel racing.

LINCOLN, Neb. – The Jackrabbits rode roughshod over the competition at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln rodeo over the weekend.

The SDSU cowboys moved a step closer to clinching the Great Plains Region team title as the Jacks scored 840 points – their second-highest point total of the season – to easily outdistance Dickinson State, which totaled 675 points for second place.

The Jackrabbits lead the team race 5,778-4,922 over the Blue Hawks with only the Dickinson State University rodeo left on April 29-30. The top two teams and the top three individuals in an event qualify for the College National Final Rodeo to be held in Casper, Wyo., June 12-18.

“I don’t know how they can’t win it,” said SDSU coach Ron Skovly of his men’s shot at the region title. “Even if they don’t show up, (Dickinson) would still have to score 857 points, so it’s fun. You just never know your second year, after a third year of the girls’ doing so well – now it’s kind of flipped and the boys are doing well.

“It’s good for the program; the recruiting. It makes you feel that what you are doing is worthwhile – it’s very rewarding to see these guys work that hard and have it pay off.”

The Jackrabbit cowgirls finished with 500 points – their highest total of the season – to beat Black Hills State University by 55 points. SDSU sits in third place in the region standings with 2,218.5 points, compared to BHSU at the top with 3,518 and DSU in second with 3,116.5.

“Team-wise, there’s no way they can make second place in the region,” Skovly said of his women’s team. “Three barrel racers are fighting for the bottom two spots and that’s not even their fault – they’ve got great horses; they ride well; they try hard – it’s just been the luck of the draw throughout the year; a tipped barrel here or there.

“Any other year, they would be dominating, too, but it’s just been one of those years for them and any of the three going out there is going to compete well, no matter what.”

Sophomore Justin Zweifel continues to pull away in the men’s region all-around competition as SDSU took the top three spots at Lincoln. Zweifel finished with 330 points to edge teammates Jake Bode (290) and Andrew Coughlin (180).

Zweifel leads the all-around region standings with 1,915.5 points – ahead of the Yellow Jackets’ Tye Hale (1,154) and the Jacks’ Tyrell Moody (1,010).

Zweifel won the tie down roping and the steer wrestling events, while Bode and Coughlin finished 1-2 in the bull riding with 153 and 141 points, respectively.

Coughlin leads the bull-riding region standings with 632 points, 27 ahead of Bode. SDSU’s Jobie Dryden is in fourth place, trailing North Dakota State’s James Kapp by 45 points, after his third-place finish in Lincoln.

Moody and Troy Donnelly finished third in the team roping at UNL as the duo leads the region standings by 150 points over BHSU’s Layne Carson and Taylor Williams.

Bryan Boyle’s third-place finish in the saddle bronc riding solidified his third-place position in the region standings as well.

Christian Jensen, fourth in the region in bareback riding, finished fifth in Lincoln as he tries to overtake NDSU’s Austin Martin for the coveted third-place spot. Martin has 648 points to Jensen’s 620.

SDSU’s Jase Clark and Trevor Hupp finished second and fourth, respectively, in the tie down roping. Hupp locked up a CNFR spot with 590 points for third in the region, behind Zweifel (905.5) and Dickinson’s Isaiah Pemberton (635).

In steer wrestling, the Jacks’ Mitch Morem and Patrick Cowan also finished second and fourth, respectively, as Cowan needs a big rodeo in Dickinson to catch Hasting College’s Jace Bowhay, who sits in third place in the region standings with 519 points. Cowan has 426, while Zweifel (890) and Tyler Nelson (645) have already locked up CNFR spots.

On the women’s side at UNL, SDSU’s Calyssa Thomas finished third in the all-around to BHSU’s Jamie Britton and Joey Painter. Painter and Dickinson’s Halley Treeby lead the region standings while Thomas trails teammate Hilary VanGerpen by 4.5 points for third.

VanGerpen and Thomas finished 2-3 in barrel racing while Thomas placed third in breakaway roping.

The Jacks’ Danielle Schubert and Brandee Wardell placed second and eighth, respectively, in goat tying, and Wardell added a fifth-place finish in breakaway roping.



2010-11 Great Plains Region Standings

Men’s Team Standings – 1. South Dakota State University 5,778; 2. Dickinson State University 4,992.5; 3. Black Hills State University 3,598.5; 4. Iowa Central Community College 2,870; 5. North Dakota State University 1,548; 6. Hastings College 969; 7. Mitchell Technical Institute 869.5; 8. University of Wisconsin-River Falls 440; 9. Mid-Plains Community College 310; 10. University of Nebraska-Lincoln 279; 11. Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture 20.

Women’s Team Standings – 1. Black Hills State University 3,518; 2. Dickinson State University 3,116.5; 3. South Dakota State University 2,218.5; 4. North Dakota State University 1,282.5; 5. Iowa Central Community College 716.5; 6. University of Nebraska-Lincoln 580; 7. Hastings College 390; 8. University of Wisconsin-River Falls 110.

Men’s All-Around – 1. Justin Zweifel, SDSU, 1,915.5; 2. Tye Hale, BHSU, 1,154; 3. Tyrell Moody, SDSU, 1,010; 4. Christian Jensen, SDSU, 912; 5. Andrew Coughlin, SDSU, 845; 6. Jake Bode, SDSU, 805.

Women’s All-Around – 1. Joey Painter, BHSU, 1,882.5; 2. Halley Treeby, DSU, 1,295.5; 3. Hilary VanGerpen, SDSU, 694.5; 4. Calyssa Thomas, SDSU, 690.

Saddle Bronc Riding – 1. Riley Knoll, DSU, 1,331; 2. William Kukuchka, DSU, 3. Bryan Boyle, SDSU, 789.5; 4. Christian Jensen, SDSU, 292; 9. Andrew Coughlin, SDSU, 203; 11. Kaden Deal, SDSU, 145; 12. Ross Odde, SDSU, 30.

Bareback Riding – 1. Troy Vaira, DSU, 1,370; 2. Tim O’Connell, IACCC, 797; 3. Austin Martin, NDSU, 648; 4. Christian Jensen, SDSU, 620.

Bull Riding – 1. Andrew Coughlin, SDSU, 632; 2. Jake Bode, SDSU, 605; 3. James Kapp, NDSU, 510; 4. Jobie Dryden, SDSU, 465; 7. Sean Nicolaus, SDSU, 175.

Tie Down Roping – 1. Justin Zweifel, SDSU, 905.5; 2. Isaiah Pemberton, DSU, 635; 3. Trevor Hupp, SDSU, 590; 6. Jase Clark, SDSU, 320.5; 10. Tyrell Moody, SDSU, 205; 11. Colby Porch, SDSU, 198.

Steer Wrestling – 1. Justin Zwiefel, SDSU, 890; 2. Tyler Nelson, SDSU, 645; 3. Jace Bowhay, HC, 519; 4. Patrick Cowan, SDSU, 426; 9. Mitchell Morem, SDSU, 261; 15. Luke Schubert, SDSU, 140.

Team Roping (Header) – 1. Tyrell Moody, SDSU, 805; 2. Layne Carson, DSU, 655; 3. Tye Hale, BHSU, 442; 4. Colby Porch, SDSU, 386; 13. Trevor Hupp, SDSU, 160.

Team Roping (Heeler) – 1. Troy Donnelly, SDSU, 805; 2. Taylor Williams, BHSU, 655; 3. Dalton Richter, MTI, 442; 4. Blake Baade, SDSU, 386; 5. James Loiseau, SDSU, 289; 13. Patrick Cowan, SDSU, 160.

Barrel Racing – 1. Victoria Netzer, DSU, 644.5; 2. Jordan Rist, NDSU, 481; 3. Hilary VanGerpen, SDSU, 419.5; 4. Calyssa Thomas, SDSU, 415; 5. Taryn Sippel, SDSU, 390; 7. Breelyn Cowan, SDSU, 240.

Breakaway Roping – 1. Joey Painter, BHSU, 605.5; 2. Ashley Schaper, DSU, 425.5; 3. Taylor Holliday, UNL, 380; 8. Brandee Wardell, SDSU, 298.5; 10. Calyssa Thomas, SDSU, 275; 11. Hilary VanGerpen, SDSU, 255.

Goat Tying – 1. Joey Painter, BHSU, 887; 2. Halley Treeby, DSU, 855.5; 3. Jamie Britton, BHSU, 715; 6. Meg McPadden, SDSU, 385; 7. Danielle Schubert, SDSU, 355; 13. Brandee Wardell, SDSU, 60.