After a Dominating Season, the MSU Rodeo Team Looks Towards the CNFR in Casper

The 2024 college rodeo season has drawn to a close and some of the best athletes from across the nation are loading up and heading to the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming, June 9-15. Among them is the Montana State University Rodeo Team, who reigned supreme in the Big Sky Region and claimed the regional champion titles for both the Men’s and Women’s teams. Headed by coach Kyle Whitaker, 12 MSU rodeo athletes will showcase their skills in the Ford Wyoming Center.

Whitaker, a successful competitor in his own right, is in his third year in the role, and is looking forward to a triumphant CNFR. “I think the CNFR is more mental than anything. That’s what we try to work on all year long, practice in the way you’re going to compete at the CNFR. You should have the same mindset at every rodeo you go into.”

He continues, “College rodeo is unique because it’s the only time where rodeo is a team sport. We try to do a lot of things as a group to get to know each other and work together. When we had team meetings at the beginning of the semester, I had them all step up and tell us what their individual goals were and come up with goals for the team as well.”

Tayla Moeykens, a recent MSU graduate, concluded her college rodeo career with the Big Sky Region Barrel Racing and Reserve All-Around Champion titles, and will be competing in barrel racing and breakaway at her fourth CNFR. The 2021 CNFR Barrel Racing Champion and 2023 Reserve Barrel Racing Champion is looking forward to highlighting her talent in both of her events.

“My biggest goal going into the CNFR was to qualify in both of my events,” she says. “I had been really close my junior year to qualifying in breakaway, but was just a few points short. This year, I accomplished that goal and I get to go in both of my events. That’s what I’m most excited for.”

In what Moeykens refers to as a “fairytale” college rodeo career, she has been blessed with a great team of horses that have carried her through the last four years. She praises, “I attribute all the success to them because without them it’s not possible. They go out there and give me their heart every time and that’s all I can ever ask for.”

After the CNFR, the Three Forks, Montana, cowgirl will head down the ProRodeo trail, hopeful to land in the Top 35 of the WPRA standings.

Sophomore cowboy Jaden Whitman sets his sights on representing MSU once again in the Steer Wrestling. After battling it out with his roommate, Trav Johnson, all season long, Whitman edged out a victory by a mere 25 points, securing back-to-back regional titles. He recalls, “The second was a lot harder to win than the first one. The first one came pretty easy to me and I was able to have it wrapped up even before the last college rodeo. This year, we went all the way to the last rodeo to find out who won.”

Whitman accredits his success to a horse he trained named Bullseye. “I did most of the training myself. It was just me and my brother who rode him,” he says. “He’s about 12 years old now and I was able to win a state title on him my sophomore year of high school. We also have a haze horse named Sancho that we got from Shane Frey down in Texas last year. He’s an old trooper, he gets the job done and that’s what he needs to do.”

The Montana ProRodeo circuit cowboy wrapped up his rookie season sixth in the standings, and hopes to expand his rodeo career after he graduates. “I want to try to get a national title in steer wrestling before I’m done at MSU. That’s hoping for the best, if everything goes great. Then hopefully within a year or two, when I’m done with MSU, I’ll go hard and try to make the NFR.”

Bozeman cowgirl Meghan McGinley’s second CNFR breakaway qualification was sweetened thanks to one very special mare that she bought as a three-year-old for $1,200. “I was just going to put 60 days on her and sell her, but on about day 15 she was riding around so awesome. I decided to keep her and then sell her eventually, but now here she is. She just turned seven, and there’s not a chance I’m ever going to sell her.”

She continues, “Just the fact that I did train her, I don’t know how you could click any better with one. She knows exactly what I’m asking her because that’s all she’s ever known. I know her inside and out too and so it’s pretty awesome. She’s been rock solid ever since I started hauling her.”

Being able to return to her hometown has been the cherry on top to her senior year of college rodeo. She praises, “Here at MSU we get so much support from the community. It’s almost unreal the support we get and how cool people think it is. Coming back here to finish it all up I think has meant a lot to the community. It’s also pretty special to have all the people I grew up with around.”

Nowhere else in the world can you witness top-tier college rodeo athletes and animals going head-to-head, vying for the most prestigious intercollegiate titles. We will be keeping a close eye on the MSU team throughout CNFR week and wish them nothing but the best of luck and success.