Rodeo Season Kicks Off In Portales, NM

Hawks Saddle Up for a Strong Start in Portales

The Howard College Rodeo Team came out of the chute swinging at their season opener in Portales, NM, hosted by Eastern New Mexico University. With the dust barely settling on his debut, new assistant coach Kyle VanDerLeest teamed up with head coach Justin Jenkins to guide the Hawks through their first rodeo of the year — and the team showed they're ready to ride.

Kayce Liptak lit up the barrel racing, charging her way into the short round and riding out with a third-place finish and 2nd and 3rd in the average. "First college rodeo of the season in Portales, NM, and the Hawks came out strong!" Liptak said. "Had a blast making the short round in the barrels… amazing roping, incredible teamwork, and huge thanks to Coach Kyle and Justin for setting us up for success!"

The roping pen wasn't quiet either. Pepito Million and Audrey Snyder teamed up for a clean run that landed them in 5th place, while Korbin Mills and Laramie Coleen battled through tough competition to snag 8th place.

Coach Jenkins tipped his hat to the Hawks' grit, especially with several freshmen getting their first crack at college rodeo. "We were really proud of the student athletes' performance at the first rodeo of the year," Jenkins said. "This is always a tough one, especially for the freshmen, and they handled it extremely well."

With the season's first rodeo in the books, the Hawks have saddled up with plenty of momentum. Next stop: Canadian, Texas, where they'll hit the arena at the Frank Phillips College Rodeo and look to keep swinging ropes and turning barrels in true Howard College style.