Magnolia, Ark. Coach Rusty Hayes and his Mulerider Rodeo team members returned to Magnolia this past Monday, June 23 after a hard, long journey to Casper, Wyoming to compete in the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR).This journey is the ultimate competition for these student-athletes and is often a highlight for their rodeo achievements. Only seven talented Muleriders were eligible to compete at the CNFR this year. This group of Muleriders may not have come back with the title of a National Champion, but they did help keep the SAU Rodeo Program, as well as themselves, on the map.

In the breakaway roping competition, the Muleriders were represented by Loni Pearce and Hannah Springer. In the first round, Pearce and Springer split second and third place with both girls roping their calves in 2.3 seconds. In the second round, Pearce roped hers in 3.2 seconds and Springer caught hers in 4.7 seconds. In the third round, Pearce had tough luck and missed her calf. This took Pearce out of the finals round. Springer came back with a strong 2.6 seconds on her third round and would advance to the finals. Springer roped her calf in the final round in 4.2 seconds which placed her 7th in the nation.

In the men's calf roping, Curt Mosley had runs of 10.3, 9.0, and 11.8 seconds in the first three rounds. Mosley roped a 10.1 in the finals on Saturday and placed 6th in the average and 6th overall in the nation.

In the team roping competition, TyDaniel Haller and his partner roped a 6.3 in the first round, a 11.7 in the second round, but missed their third steer. This took Haller out of the finals round. Seth Driggers and his partner Kelsey Kennemer (from Troy University) roped their first three steers in 7.9, 12.2 and 8.6 seconds which would take them to the finals. They entered the finals in the 10th seat, but roped their final steer in 8.1 seconds. This bumped them to place third in the finals round and moved them up to 5th in the nation.

In the barrel racing, Anna Slack had runs of 14.53, 14.39 and 15.11 seconds in the first three runs. These times were impressive, but with cut-throat competition, Slack did not advance to the final round of competition.

In the goat-tying, Loni Pearce tied her goats in the first three rounds with a time of 7.5, 8.7 and 8.1. Kellie Hailey tied hers in 7.6, 10.0, and got a no time. These Mulerider ladies did not advance to the final round of competition.

The Lady Muleriders placed 11th overall in the Women's Division at the CNFR.

Although the Muleriders may not have returned with a championship, they should still be applauded for their hard work and achievements this year. Coach Hayes says, "Anything in the top ten at the CNFR is an outstanding achievement. In my nine years here at SAU, this is only the second time we have had three members place in the top ten during the same year. It is considered a successful CNFR if a school has one team member place in the top ten in an event. At the CNFR there are over 400 contestants from 100 schools going through three rounds to make the finals on Saturday night." It is plain to see that Hayes is proud of his team members hard work and accomplishments.

The Mulerider Rodeo team will kick things off this fall on September 25 when they head to Marshall, Missouri for the first rodeo of the 2014-2015 season. Come watch the Muleriders compete on their "home dirt" on November 6-8 at the new Story Arena.