FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                    June 5, 2007

RANGERS IN WYOMING FOR COLLEGE NATIONAL FINALS RODEO

            Six members of the Northwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo team are deep in their final preparations for

 the 59th College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR). Competition in the annual event starts Sunday, June 10, at the Casper Events Center in Casper, Wyo.

            Cowboys and cowgirls qualify for the national finals by finishing in the top three in the individual events in regional competition. Northwestern competes in the Central Plains Region, comprised of two and four year schools in Oklahoma and Kansas and a few from Missouri.

            Teddi Winfrey, Plains, Kan., senior, will represent the women’s team in the breakaway roping and goat tying events. She won the women’s all-around and breakaway roping titles in the region and was third in goat tying.

            Mitch Barney, Logan, Iowa, senior, was the reserve champion all-around cowboy and won the steer wrestling and team roping heading titles.

            Barney’s team roping partner, Coleman Proctor, Miami junior, won the heeling title, and K.W. Lauer, Buffalo senior, was second to Barney as a team roping header. He ropes with Jesse Kulczycki of Southwestern Oklahoma State University.

Other members of the men’s team will be Tyler Johnson, Mound City, Kan., junior, and Justin Binder, Inman, Kan., senior, who will compete in team roping. Johnson also will be in tie down roping.

The Northwestern men’s team finished second in the region. Coach Tim Kolb explained that “teams are chosen on events (six) rather than by individuals, that’s why we’re taking only five individuals. Mitch (Barney) got two events because of being reserve all-around. All points acquired by all team members will count toward points for national year-end honors.”

It also means that while Winfrey is the only Ranger woman competing, any points she earns also will count toward women’s team honors.

“I’m very proud of what our entire rodeo team has accomplished this year,” Kolb said. “I feel that we truly have a legitimate chance of winning a national title.

“We had at least 18 other student-athletes who were in striking distance of making the CNFR. With the class we have recruited for next year, I fully expect our teams to come back as strong, if not stronger.”

            The random draw for position took place June 1. All CNFR contestants will check-in Saturday, June 9, and attend an orientation meeting and a family barbeque.

            Competition gets underway on Sunday, with special “Bulls, Broncs & Breakaway” performances at 1 and 4 p.m. “Slack” competition in all events will be held beginning at 7 a.m. on Monday and Tuesday. The slack is for contestants who cannot be accommodated in the evening “performance” section of each go-round. There are 45-50 contestants in each event and 10-12 of those appear in evening performances. The others register their scores or times in the slack.

            Evening performances will be at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, June 12-15. The top performers from the first three go-rounds will compete for national titles in each event in the championship round at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 16. The championship round will be televised on the College Sports TV network (CSTV) throughout the summer. Viewers should check local listings for times. CSTV is available on Comcast, Time Warner, Adelphia and Insight cable systems and DirecTV and DISH Network satellite systems.

            Results will be available daily on the CNFR’s web site: http://www.cnfr.com/.

            Appearances by Northwestern team members is scheduled as follows:

            Sunday, June 10—Winfrey, breakaway roping, performance.

            Monday, June 11—Johnson, tie-down roping, slack; Barney, steer wrestling, slack; Barney, Proctor, Johnson, Binder and Lauer, team roping, slack; Winfrey, goat tying, slack.

            Tuesday, June 12—Johnson, tie-down roping, slack and performance; Barney, steer wrestling, slack; Lauer, Johnson, Binder, Barney and Proctor, team roping, slack; Lauer, team roping, performance; Winfrey, breakaway roping, slack; Winfrey, goat typing, slack.

            Wednesday, June 13—Barney, steer wrestling, performance; Barney, Proctor, Johnson and Binder, team roping, performance.

            Thursday, June 14—Winfrey, breakaway roping, performance; Winfrey, goat typing, performance.

-NW-

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