CHADRON, Neb. – After riding nearly every bareback bronc he's drawn since the second half of his sophomore year at Chadron State College, Cinch Kiger, now a senior, had the most success of his career at a college rodeo by winning that event at the CSC rodeo at the Dawes County Fairgrounds last weekend.

Kiger, a native of Overton in central Nebraska, scored 80 and 81 points on his two Muddy Creek Rodeo broncs. It was the first time he had been awarded 80 points and also the first time he won the bareback championship at a college rodeo.

During the 2024-25 college rodeo season, Kiger rode both of his broncs at all 10 rodeos in the Central Rocky Mountain Region and finished among the top six to earn points for his CSC team at eight of them, but had never placed higher than third. This past weekend, he surged to the top.

Kiger was one of three bareback riders to score 80 points in the long go-round at the CSC rodeo.  The others were his teammate, sophomore Tanner Olson of Gordon, and Monte Downare of Otero College in Colorado. In Sunday's finals, Kiger earned 81 points to claim the championship. Olson scored 73 points and Downare 72 on their second broncs and finished fourth and sixth, respectively, in the final standings. Reece Reder of Sheridan College in Wyoming also scored 81 points Sunday to go with his 77 in the long round, and was second in the overall standings with a 158 total.

Two CSC contestants besides Kiger and Olson also placed among the top six in their events.  Senior Bridget Romey of Hot Springs, South Dakota was fourth in barrel racing and Makayla Wray of Ord, Nebraska joined with Hayes Hammond of the University of Wyoming to place sixth in team roping.

Romey 's two runs in the barrels were 17.75 and 17.49 seconds for a total of 34.24 seconds, just 26 hundredths behind the winner, Kloe Nichols of Laramie County Community College in Cheyenne. Wray and Hammond finished their first run in 7.8 seconds, but did not get a time in the finals. Just three team roping duos succeeded in catching both of their critters.

CSC cowboys Pepper Rhyne of Craig, Colorado, and Seth Glass of Sidney, Nebraska also made the team roping finals with an 8.2-second mark, but didn't connect with both loops during their second run.  

Two Chadron State women also were among the 10 finals' qualifiers in their events. Freshman Breezy Amiotte of Wall, S.D., squeezed into the barrel racing finals and finished seventh overall among the 101 entries. Junior Mary Gibson of Hardin, Montana, had times of 7.4 and 7.3 in goat tying for a 14.9 total, missing the top six by only three-tenths of a second.

Brylee Grubb of Gillette College won the goat tying with a 14-second flat total. There was a tie for first in breakaway roping between Olivia Lay of UW and Rayna Billingsley of LCCC with 5.6-second totals on two catches. Billingsley also was fifth in the barrel race and was the rodeo's all-around cowgirl.

Sheridan College swept first place through fourth place in saddle bronc riding, with Chris Nelson winning the event. The rodeo had 14 bull riders and Kahl Wasilow of LCCC was the only one to ride both of his bulls to win that event. Eli Leppell of Eastern Wyoming rode one to place second.  All the others went zero for two.      

Scottsbluff native Tate Talkington, who attends the University of Wyoming, was the tie down roping winner. Another UW cowboy, Thayne Kimbrough, won the steer wrestling and their teammate, Sam Gallagher joined with Cooper Jones of Casper College to win the team roping.

Gallagher was the all-round cowboy by also placing fourth in steer wrestling and sixth in tie down roping. 

Wyoming won both team titles. The Cowboys piled up 745 points, Sheridan was second with 545 and Chadron State third with 265. The UW women also chalked up 265 points to win that team title, 10 more points than Gillette. LCCC was third with 230, Sheridan fourth with 180 and CSC next with 120.

The next rodeo in the region is Sept. 19-21 at Central Wyoming in Riverton.

The top six placings in each event follow;
                
                 Bareback riding—1, Cinch Kiger, CSC, 80-81 points, 161; 2, Reece Reder, Sheridan College, 77-81, 158; 3, Eian Smith, Central Wyoming, 79-76, 155; 4, Tanner Olson, CSC,80-73, 153; 5-6. Kross Smith, Lamar, 75-77,152, and Monte Downare, Otero, 80-72, 152.
                Saddle bronc riding—1, Chris Nelson, Sheridan, 81-82, 163; 2, Jake Schlattman, Sheridan, 78-80. 158; 3, Lonnie Dunn, Sheridan, 74-79, 153; 4, Taiten Eaton, Sheridan, 69-81, 150; 5, Traven Sharon, UW, 67-79, 146; 6, Sawyer Hutchinson, Eastern Wyoming, 72-69, 141.
                Tie down roping—1, Tate Talkington, UW, 10.4-9.5, 19.9 seconds, 2, Treg Thorstenson, UW, 11,5-11.7, 22.9; 3, Trey Bohmbach, Gillette, 12.1-11.2, 23.3; 4, Jaxson Mirabal, UW, 13.0-11.6; 24.6; 5, Rio Nutter, UW, 12.7-12.0, 24.7; 6, Sam Gallagher, UW, 11.8-13.2, 25.0.
                Steer wrestling—1, Thayne Kimbrough, UW, 10.9-5.5, 16.4 seconds; 2, Teagan Gourneau, EWC, 5.2-17.6, 23.1; 3, Taydon Gorsuch, EWC, 5.2-0, 5.2; 4, Sam Gallagher, UW, 5.8-0. 5.8; 5, Chase Olson, LCCC, 6.2-0, 6.2; 6, Rio Nutter, UW, 15.2-0.
                Team Roping—1, Cooper Jones, Casper, and Sam Gallagher, UW, 6.9-8.5, 15.4 seconds; 2, Piper Bigney and Ryen Sheppick, Sheridan, 11.0-9.6, 20.6; 3, Tragyn Duarte and Gavin Wash, Otero, 9.9-11.9, 21.8; 4, Treg Thorstens and Rio Nutter, UW, 6.6-0, 6.6; 5, David Gallagher and Tate Talkington, UW, 7.3-0, 7.3; 6, Makayla Wray, CSC, and Hayes Hammond, UW, 7.8-0, 7.8.
                Bull Riding—1, Kahl Wasilow, LCCC, 72-74-146 points; 2, Eli Leppell, EWC, 0-65, 65. Only qualified rides.  
                Goat Tying—1, Brylee Grubb, Gillette, 6.9-7.1, 14.0 seconds; 2, Caitlin Moore, Gillette, 7.7-6.5, 14.2; 3-4 tie, Josie Mousel, UW, 7.2-7.1, 14.3,  4, and Layni Stevens, UW, 6.7-7.6, 14.3; 5, Kassidy Dunagan, UW, 7.5-6.9, 14.4; 6, McKinlee May, Colo, State, 7.4-7.2, 14.6. 
                Barrel Racing—1, Kloe Nichols, LCCC, 17.61 and 17.37, 34.98 seconds, 2, Sage Wheatley, UW, 17.41-17.70, 35.11; 3, Makenzi Scott, UW, 17.71-17.51, 35.22; 4, Bridget Romey, CSC, 17.75-17.49, 35.24; 5, Rayna Billingsley, LCCC, 17.54-17.71, 35.35; 6, Faith Heim, Sheridan, 17.72-17.69, 35.41.
                Breakaway Roping—1-2 tie, Olivia Lay, UW, 2.8-2.8, 5.6 seconds, and Rayna Billingsley, LCCC, 2.5-3.1, 5.6; 3, Laramie Nutter, LCCC, 3.3-3.4, 6.7; 4-5 tie, Shelby Derner, LCCC, 2.5-4.3, 6.8, and Jaden Mathis, Casper, 2.3-4.5, 6.8; 6, Lilly Masopust, UW, 3.4-3.5, 6.9.