NJC Rodeo Team Brings Home Three Regional Championships

***NJC Press Release***

The Northeastern Junior College Rodeo Team put the finishing touches on a stellar regular rodeo season, bringing home three championships two weeks ago.

Samantha Tallent, a pre-nursing/biology major, from Elizabeth, CO won the year end championship in the barrel racing. Ms. Tallent was also honored with an academic award at last week’s Ag Banquet for being the top women’s team academic member.

Shay Carroll, a business major, from La Junta, CO won two year-end championships. He won the heeling championship in the team roping and was fifth in the region in tie-down calf roping. He capped off an amazing freshman year when he also won the men’s all-around championship. The all-around award is given to the cowboy who accumulates the most points in two or more events. Carroll was recently named a Rising Star by the NJC business department at its year-end banquet.

Samantha and Shay will represent NJC at the College National Finals Rodeo June 11th-19th in Casper, Wyoming. Both of these young people have an excellent chance at winning a national championship.

In final standings for the Central Rocky Mountain Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) in which NJC competed, the NJC men’s team was ranked sixth overall and the women’s team was ranked fifth overall. The region includes rodeo athletes from both two and four year colleges in Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska.

The NJC Rodeo Team spends 30 days over 10 separate weekends on the road representing NJC during the fall and spring seasons. Shay Carroll will be featured in an upcoming issue of the Rodeo News in a series of articles about his rodeo life and his journey to a championship. He comes from a prominent rodeo family in the Arkansas Valley. Shay’s older sister, Tanaye, attended NJC and was on the rodeo team here in 2006 and 2007, also being a huge contender in goat tying, breakaway roping and barrel racing at both the regional and national levels.

To celebrate the regional winnings, the NJC Rodeo Team hosted a celebration in the college’s cafeteria last week and had the saddles on display. Coaches at NJC are Head Coach Brian Cullen and Assistant Coach Taya McAdow.

Photo:
Two NJC students won top slots in the Central Rocky Mountain Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) and will now travel to Casper in early June to compete in the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR). Pictured here left to right are: Head Rodeo Coach Brian Cullen, Shay Carroll, Samantha Tallent, and Assistant Rodeo Coach Taya McAdow. (Courtesy Photo)