While there are dozens of clubs, athletics and sporting events going around at Utah Valley University, one that has flown under the radar with incredible success is the Utah Valley Rodeo team.
Coached by Shane Draper, the Rodeo team competed at an event in Southern Utah two weeks ago and took home various prizes.
The women’s team took first place overall, while the men’s team came in fourth.
The teams competed in five different events, coming away with multiple first-place finishes and nine top-five finishes.
The results for the events are as follows:
Breakaway roping: 1st place Shelby Ahlstrom, 2nd place Dallie Bastian, 8th place Taylee Cornia, 10th place, Maddie Roche.
Goat tying: 2nd place Maddie Roche, 3rd place Hattie Cornia, 5th place Skylee Draper, 10th place Taylee Cornia.
Barrel racing: 3rd place Dallie Bastian, 4th place Sadie Mendenhall.
Tie down roping: 1st place Wyatt Ahlstrom, 8th place Cooper Duffin.
Team roping: 5th place Bret Olsen/Cooper Duffin, 10th place Cooper Mendenhall.
Draper is in his ninth year as the coach for the team and has qualified for the UHSRA (Utah High School Rodeo Association) & NHSRA (National High School Rodeo Association), and the Wilderness Circuit Finals in Saddle Bronc Riding, according to his profile on the team’s website.
“Coaching has made me look through life in a different lens and a different point of view. It has made me look for look for resources when putting on a rodeo and raising money for scholarships,” Draper said on coaching. “It has also helped me understand rodeo in a different perspective and learning how to put on a good hunt event that people want to come to and enjoy.”
The team’s next event is Sept. 29-30 as they head up to Logan, Utah, at Utah State University.
If you are interested in joining the rodeo team or have questions, you can visit this link and fill out your information: www.uvu.edu/rodeo.
