Your future, our focus
Sophomore Caleb McMillan is up there with the busiest cowboys in college rodeo.
Just as he did when the Northwest College team opened its season in Cody, McMillan entered five events at the Trappers’ Dawson Community College rodeo last weekend.
This is one guy whose college major should be time management, figuring when to be at each side of the arena.
“I usually get it handled,” McMillan said after his peripatetic efforts paid off with the All-Around title.
As a team the Northwest men placed second behind Montana State, which the Trappers also did in both events in Cody.
Still, coach Del Nose likes that Northwest is sitting second in the Big Sky Region standings. Last season the Trappers got hot in the spring half of the season and won the league championship. And that was after a much slower start than this.
“We’re in a better spot now,” Nose said of this fall and how the Trappers line up against Montana State. “We have the ability to run with them.
“I’m happy about it. We can narrow the gap.”
The Northwest women finished tied for third with big points scored in breakaway roping.
Freshman Bailey Newman was third, sophomore Katy Negaard tied for sixth with one round on the board in 2.9 seconds. And Brooke Winward tied for eighth with a 3.2-second round.
“We scored well in the breakaway,” Nose said. “I’m hoping the freshmen will catch up.”
McMillan was tops in the All-Around, well ahead of second place. But newcomer Jake Griffel took fourth in the All-Around, too.
McMillan was second in saddle bronc riding, second in bull riding and ninth in steer wrestling.
Northwest was big in bulls, with Marc Dohrendorf third and Kolten Moss sixth.
Griffel and Dawson Cvancara grabbed fourth in team roping and Bubba Boots and Matt Williams took fourth.
Nose said McMillan’s versatility is perfect to challenge for All-Around titles.
“He’s a cowboy,” Nose said. “He’s got the mental toughness for it.”
McMillan must be hard to please since his evaluation of his performance was a simple, “I did alright.”
Likewise for the team, he since he knows finishing second means you can still move up.
“It wasn’t too bad,” McMillan said. “I think it’s going pretty good. But I think we’re needing to have one more guy.”
Maybe someone else who can do five events, too.