Steffes off to solid start at CNFR

BY UW Media Services

CASPER -- For nearly five minutes at around high noon, Nikki Steffes stared down goat No. 7 at the Casper Events Center. One of them would win the battle 45 minutes later. It wasn't the animal.

The University of Wyoming's all-time points leader had a solid 6.7-second performance in the opening round Monday, putting her third overall after one round in the goat tying competition at the 60th College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR).It was a good start for the defending national all-around champion who also ran the barrels in 14.95 seconds earlier in the day for the Cowgirls.

The UW women are seeking to repeat as CNFR team champions. With the first round complete and the second to be finished Tuesday, the UW women have scored 93 interim points, meaning not all rounds are done. Walla Walla Community College is the leader with 170 interim points.

Steffes' teammates, Sarah Mulholland and TaNaye Carroll, also competed in goat tying, while Mulholland completed her second of three breakaway roping attempts. Halfway through the latter event, Mulholland is tied for the national lead, but her chances of making the short go in goat tying took a hit when her goat kicked out of its tie. Carroll put down her goat in 7.8 seconds, giving the Cowgirls two women still in contention. Carroll is sitting 16th overall.

Steffes, who also leads the national standings in both the all-around competition and in goat tying, quickly jumped into contention in the opening round. But she did something she normally does not do: Check out the goat herd beforehand. Steffes said she flanks differently when bringing a goat down, depending on how big it is, and wanted to craft a game plan before her name was called. Competitors tie the same goat three times before a fresh one is brought in. Steffes' goat was new, which sometimes can prove difficult.

"Being the first one out on the goat, I wanted to have a pretty good idea what he was going to be like. I don't usually study them as much as I did today, but I was a little nervous going at there," Steffes said. "I stumbled on my dismount and rolled my ankle a little but, but I feel pretty good with my time. I think it will be great the rest of the week."

She made up time on her tie, but had to wait a few anxious moments as the fresh goat kicked repeatedly to get out of its tie. But Steffes uses extra rosin on her rope to help keep the loop tighter on the goat's legs. Steffes also had things working against her earlier in barrel racing, but she overcame what was thrown her way. She was one of the last to compete in her section, which left the dirt around the barrels soft instead of being smoothed over by the rake handlers. The loose dirt caused her horse some problems turning the corners.

"It definitely made a difference. The ground was just so deep and my horse had somewhat of a difficult time with it. I felt that my horse and I did the best we could and you really can't do anything about the ground," she said. "I'm fourth or fifth out on Tuesday and it should make a big difference."

She is currently 22nd after one round of competition. With the team's consistent showing after two days, the defending CNFR champion women are back in contention. But Steffes says that being the only returning member, she can't take that for granted.

"It does help with my confidence but, at the same time, it's a whole new year," she said. "What happened last year doesn't really matter. There are 50 girls here that are so capable of winning a national title. I feel very fortunate to have had success last year, but it doesn't necessarily guarantee that I will too this year."

Carroll, a La Junta, Colo., junior, was a little more than a full second behind Steffes in goat tying. But she was glad to get the first one out of the way.

"It felt all right. I had a first run on a goat and I really didn't know what he was going to do. I did OK and I got the first one down," she said.

As for Mulholland, she has been consistent in breakaway roping. After posting a three-second time Sunday, the Richland Center, Wis., junior had a 3.1-second run Monday, putting her at 6.1 on two. Another lower time Wednesday will perhaps put her into Saturday's short go. But she's not looking that far ahead.With just one section of breakaway ropers left, Mulholland is tied for first with McNeese State University's Hope Thompson.

"Right now, I'm just focusing round-by-round. I don't want to look at the end picture. I want to think calf-by-calf, otherwise it will get too stressful," Mulholland said. "I'm happy with my times and maybe I'll get a little faster on my next one. I just want to get into the short go for a chance to win."

She won't get that chance in goat tying. After making a smooth run and a clean dismount with a fast tie, the goat, which was fresh, kicked out of its tie. Mulholland fell to her knees in disappointment.

The UW men struggled for the second consecutive day, although one of the Cowboys' three team roping teams jumped into contention. And it came with the pair that hadn't roped together all season. Both T.J. Teague, a Loveland, Colo., junior and partner Quincy Opela of Eastern Wyoming College were drawn together as partners after both finished fourth in the regional team roping standings. But both had different partners throughout the year.The pair stopped the clock in 6.3 seconds, with Teague getting his loop on the steer's horns in one quick motion coming out of the box and Opela catching the heels just as quickly. Teague left the arena with a huge grin on his face.

"I didn't get a good look at the scoreboard after we went because there are so many people back there behind the chutes. But I guess I just went out there and did what I do all the time," Teague said as he and Opela slapped high fives. "We both roped well and we just put it all together when it counts the most. We are both here at the CNFR for the first time and this is the time to do well. We'll come back tomorrow and hopefully put another good one together."

Their initial effort put them fourth overall after one round. The other two UW team ropers weren't as successful.T he roping duo of Cody brothers Tyler and Justin Viles had a no time. Tyler's loop slipped over the steer's head and the brothers chased the steer around the arena, but time ran out before they could get off a second attempt. Mark Morrison, a Killdeer, N.D., senior, couldn't get his loop around the steer's heels after partner Brad Johnson of Gillette College got his over the horns. The two UW tie down ropers had mixed results Monday morning.

Ellensburg, Wash., junior Jake Pratt tied his calf in 10.8 seconds in his initial run. He roped the calf quickly coming out of the chute, but lost valuable time taking it down, which could have made his run even quicker. Halfway through the opening tie down roping round, Pratt, who won the regional title this past spring, is sitting eighth overall in the CNFR standings. UW's Jason Hubbard of Wheatland had a difficult opening round. It was a doomed run from the outset when the calf broke sharply to the right. Then the junior had a tough time bringing the calf down and tying the hind legs. Finally, the calf kicked out of the tie, giving Hubbard a no time. The Cowboys have 60 interim points for 24th place. Panhandle State University leads with 230.