DILLON, Mont. — The Montana Western Men's and Women's Rodeo team gets their season going this weekend as they will be traveling to Cody, Wyo. for the Trapper Stampede hosted by Northwest College. The two-day rodeo event will be the first of three weekend fall rodeos that the Bulldogs will be competing in.

Season Outlook
Last season, the Bulldog men's rodeo team placed second in the NIRA Big Sky region, falling one spot behind Montana State University. The Bulldogs qualified six members to the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo. Of the six, five Bulldogs competed at the finals with three returning this season.

Trevor Kay and Gavin Knutson each saw first place finishes last season in the Big Sky Region. Kay is a two-time CNFR qualifier who finished on top in bareback riding, winning by a margin of 816 points. He also sat in the top spot in the nation heading into the finals before an injury sidelined him from competing in the event. Knutson tallied up 645 points in bull riding, taking the top spot in the region as well. Both Knutson and Kay will be returning to the arena this year.

Jhet Murphy competed in his first season for the Bulldogs last season, finishing second in the Men's All-around standings. Murphy was dominant in the region as he took second in team roping as header, fifth in steer wrestling, and 15th in tie down roping.

Carson Klingler is a two-time College National Finals Rodeo qualifier who will also be returning for his third year in the arena for the Bulldogs. Klingler took third in the region in saddle bronc riding last season, narrowly earning a spot to compete in the CNFR.

Joining the Bulldogs this season is transfer Cole Trexler and incoming freshman Cade Costello. Trexler joins the Bulldogs as a transfer from Miles Community College and was a 2021 graduate of Corvallis High School. In 2022, Trexler took third in the Big Sky Region in saddle bronc riding, qualifying him to compete at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR). Last season, Trexler finished ninth in the region in tie down roping. Trexler will be a four-event cowboy this season, competing in saddle bronc, steer wrestling, team roping, and tie down roping.

Costello joins the Bulldogs from Newell, S.D. Prior to signing with the Bulldog, Costello was the 2022 South Dakota High School Rodeo Association (SDHSRA) reserve champion saddle bronc rider. This past year, he was the SDHSRA third place rider and was the Back When They Bucked high school saddle bronc champion. He was also the 2022 NRCA Dupree Bronc Match Champion. He will be continuing on with the family tradition this fall, competing in saddle bronc, tie down roping, and team roping. Costello will be the tenth member of his family to attend Montana Western.

"The excitement is very high for the upcoming season. I see big things from the entire group and practice has been a lot of fun as the kids are feeding off each other and working hard," Head Coach JT Robbins said.

The women's rodeo team placed third in the region last season, sitting behind Montana State University (first) and MSU-Northern (second). Returning for the Bulldogs women's rodeo team is sophomore Tavy Leno and senior Krista Marchand.

Leno had a solid freshman year for the Bulldogs, narrowly missing a qualification for the CNFR by one spot. Leno finished fourth in the region in goat tying and 15th in breakaway roping.
Marchand also returns for her senior season this year after she finished 8th in barrel racing last season.

Joining the Bulldogs this season is transfer Erin McGinley. McGinley is a breakaway roper and barrel racer who joins the Bulldogs as a transfer from Gillette Community College and a 2021 graduate of Belgrade High School. She was a member of the Pronghorns' 2023 regional championship team last year in the Central Rocky Mountain Region of the NIRA, finishing 11th individually in barrel racing.

Incoming freshman Desi Coombs hopes to make a splash. Coombs joins the Bulldogs from Battle Mountain, Nev. where she was a three-time qualifier to the National Junior High Finals Rodeo, four-time qualifier to the National High School Finals Rodeo (NHSFR), the 2022 Nevada State Champion breakaway roper, and was the 2023 Nevada High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) Teskey's Top Hand winner. Coombs also competed for the Battle Mountain Rodeo Club where she was a seven-time national qualifier. 

"We are very excited about the level of talent we have this year in every event. The freshman and transfers, coupled with the returning kids give us a chance to compete at a high level and accomplish our goals." Robbins said.
 
The Montana Western home rodeo will be held Sept. 29-30 in Dillon. The fall rodeo schedule is as follows:
                Sept. 8-9                     Trapper Stampede #1 & #2
                Sept. 21-24                MSU-Northern Rodeo #1 & #2
                Sept. 29-30                Montana Western Rodeo
 
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