It was another successful weekend for the Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team.

Members competed first at the Iowa Central Community College rodeo in Fort Dodge, Iowa on Thursday and Friday then at the Iowa State University Cyclone Stampede in Ames, Iowa on Saturday and Sunday.

They finished second as a team at the Iowa Central rodeo and ended up third as a team at the Cyclone Stampede. That puts them third in the Great Plains Region in the men’s team standings. MPCC is the only community college in the top five in the men’s team standings. The rest are four-year colleges and universities.

“I’m just excited we’re finally starting to compete,” said Dustin Elliott, MPCC Rodeo Team rough stock coach. “We haven’t gotten first in the team standings yet, but we’ve been close. We’re in the mix.”

Individual results are as follows:

Iowa Central Rodeo:

Team roping – first place, Reece Weber, Valentine, and Tucker Dale, Timber Lake, S.D.

Bareback riding – second – Rowdy Moon, Sargent

Steer wrestling – second – Kris Rasmussen, Riverdale; fourth – Kanoa Awai-Dickson, Kula, Hawaii

Bull riding – tie for third – Jett Peterson, Parade, S.D.; fifth/sixth split – Colter Glendy, Oconto, and Trey Engel, Silver Creek; eighth split – Garrett Heinert, Papillion

Cyclone Stampede:

Team roping – second – Kris Rasmussen, Riverdale, and R.J. Masada, Makawao, Hawaii

Steer wrestling – second – Triston Eklund, Valentine; third – Cord Hesseltine, Halsey; fourth – Kanoa Awai-Dickson, Kula, Hawaii; seventh – Tyler Murray, Wheaton, Kan.

Bull riding – second – Aukai Kaai, Johnstown, Colo.; sixth split – Ethan Lesiak, Columbus

Bareback riding – third – Rowdy Moon, Sargent

Saddle bronc riding – third – Triston Eklund, Valentine

Tie-down roping – seventh – Triston Eklund, Valentine

Breakaway roping – 10th- Kaile Jacobson, Haiku, Hawaii

“It was a great weekend,” said Garrett Nokes, MPCC timed event coach. “The kids really stepped up and did well. I love the back-to-back rodeo format because for the kids who rodeo a lot – that’s more of what they’re used to. It seems like it takes some of the pressure off because if they don’t do so well in a performance, they have a chance to improve later in the weekend.”

That being said, Nokes also acknowledged that the schedule can be tiring.

“Going from school to competing four solid days, then returning home at midnight and getting up the next day for more classes – that can be draining,” said Nokes.

The hard work seems to be paying off, however, and Nokes is pleased with how the team has done so far.

“I’m pumped,” said Nokes. “We’re right where we were hoping to be after four rodeos. I don’t think it’s a stretch at all to think our kids might end up first or second in the region and qualify for nationals.”