Hill College Rodeo season kicks off this weekend at Panola Junior College

  Hill College
  Thursday, September 27, 2018 3:41 PM
  Athletics

Hillsboro, TX

Hill College Rodeo Team will compete at Panola Junior College in Tatum, Texas, this weekend, Sept. 28-29, for the first rodeo of the 2018 fall season. The team fields 43 student-athletes, 16 on the women’s team and 27 on the men’s team. They will compete in every intercollegiate rodeo event there is; four in bull riding, one bareback rider, four saddle bronc riders, 14 barrel racers, one goat tier, 12 tie-down ropers, seven break-away ropers, 14 team ropers, five steer wrestlers and one bull fighter. 

Hill College is a part of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) Southern Region. They will compete at five rodeos this fall. They will travel Oct. 5-6 to Southwest Texas Junior College in Uvalde, Oct. 19-20 to Northeast Texas College in Mt. Pleasant, Oct. 26-27 to McNeese State University in Lake Charles, La., and finally to Conroe at Sam Houston State University Nov. 11-20. 

This year’s team looks to be strong, with 18 new freshmen and 25 sophomores returning, including some of our top competitors like Brooke Jordan of Covington, Texas, who made her debut at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper, Wyo. in break-away roping, along with Ezkiel Mitchell of Baytown, Texas, in the bull riding and Cooper Mathews of Cleburne, Texas, who ended tenth in the nation last year at the CNFR in the tie-down roping.

This year’s team has students from Oakley, Cali., to Alberta, Canada, and states in between such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Additionally, many of the cowboys and cowgirls are from all over the state of Texas, including: Anderson, Axtell, Baytown, Canton, Cypress, Decatur, Donie, Holland, Houston, Huntsville, Kaufman, LaGrange, Lott, Mabank, Midlothian, Montgomery, Navasota, New Waverly, Rockwall, Stephenville, Sumner and Waxahachie. As well as from right here within the Hill College service area including Alvarado, Burleson, Cleburne, Covington, Grandview, Hubbard and Whitney. 

It is a family affair this year as the team boasts twin brothers, Joe and Layne York from Huntsville, Texas and a set of sisters, McKenzie and Maci Ray of Mabank, Texas. These cowgirls come from a long line of rodeo athletes as their father Boogie Ray, who ended ninth in the nation in calf roping in 1992 for Hill College under Coach Paul Brown. He and his wife, Robbin, are Hill College alumni and met while attending college.

Colton Brittain’s dad, Ross Ashford’s sister, Cord Clanton and Parker Fleet’s brothers were all previously on the Hill College rodeo team. Fleet’s uncle, Lawson Plemons, is an alumnus and went on to be an NFR qualifier in steer roping. Caleb Roberts dad, Colton Thomas’ cousins and uncle, and Cody Wilkerson’s mom and uncle are all former Hill College Rodeo Team Rebels.

2018-2019 Rodeo Team

So           Koby Adams                       Huntsville, Texas              Bull Fighting, Tie-down Roping

So           Ross Ashford                      Lott, Texas                          Team Roping (heeler)

Fr            Caleb Auzenne                 Houston, Texas                 Bull Riding

So           Colt Brittain                        Rockwall, Texas                Team Roping (heeler)

Fr            Cord Clanton                      Midlothian, Texas            Tie-down Roping, Team Roping (header)

So           Gracie Daniels                   Whitney, Texas                 Barrel Racing     

So           Logan Decker                     Burleson, Texas                Saddle Bronc Riding

So           Cyle Denison                      Iowa, La.                              Tie-down Roping, Team Roping (header)

So           Colby Fedor                        Grandview, Texas            Bareback Riding

Fr            Bryce Fischer                     Mayerthorpe, Alberta, Canada   Barrel Racing

Fr            Parker Fleet                        Axtell, Texas                       Saddle Bronc Riding, Steer Wrestling, Tie-down Roping,

Team Roping (heeler)

So           John Glesmann                 New Waverly, Texas       Steer Wrestling, Team Roping (header)

So           Jarrod Hammons              Stephenville, Texas         Saddle Bronc Riding

Fr            Faith Harper                       Hubbard, Texas                 Barrel Racing

So           Ashtyn Hernandez           LaGrange, Texas               Barrel Racing

So           Taylor Hurst                        Navasota, Texas               Team Roping (heeler)

So           Brooke Jordan                   Covington, Texas              Break-away Roping

Fr            Bailey Knepper                 Dennison, Ohio                 Barrel Racing, Break-away Roping, Goat Tying

Fr            Josh Korsten                      Oakley, Calif.                      Saddle Bronc Riding

Fr            McKenxie Kuehl                Hubbard, Texas                 Barrel Racing

So           Weston Leftwich              Covington, Texas              Tie-down Roping

So           Cooper Mathews             Cleburne, Texas                Tie-down Roping, Team Roping (heeler)

Fr            Parker McCown                Montgomery, Texas       Bull Riding

So           Ezkiel Mitchell                   Baytown, Texas                Bull Riding

Fr            Savannah Ormsby            Grandview, Texas            Barrel Racing

So           Stevey Payne                     Donie, Texas                      Barrel Racing, Break-away Roping

So           King Pickett                        Jackson, Miss.                    Tie-down Roping, Team Roping (header)

Fr            Summer Pierce                 Cypress, Texas                  Barrel Racing

So           Zealdrick Plattenburg     Houston, Texas                 Tie-down Roping

So           McCoy Profili                      Anderson, Texas              Tie-down Roping, Team Roping (heeler)

So           Maci Ray                              Maybank, Texas                Barrel Racing, Break-away Roping, Team Roping (header)

So           Makenzie Ray                    Maybank, Texas                Break-away Roping, Team Roping (heeler)

So           Cassidy Rhoden                Alvarado, Texas                Barrel Racing

Fr            Caleb Roberts                    Canton, Texas                    Tie-down Roping

So           Raelee Self                          Sumner, Texas                  Barrel Racing, Break-away Roping

Fr            Jennifer Stanley                Holland, Texas                   Break-away Roping

Fr            Scott Steiner                      Decatur, Texas                  Steer Wrestling

So           Colton Thomas                  Grandview, Texas            Bull Riding

So           Cody Wilkerson                 Midlothian, Texas            Tie-down Roping

Fr            Alayna Witherspoon       Kaufman, Texas                Barrel Racing, Break-away Roping

Fr            Joe York                               Huntsville, Texas              Steer Wrestling, Team Roping (header)

Fr            Layne York                          Huntsville, Texas              Steer Wrestling,                Team Roping (heeler)

Fr            Tyler Zebrovious              Fedonia, Pa.                       Tie-down Roping, Team Roping (header)

 

Fall Rodeo Schedule

Sept. 28-29      Panola Junior College, Tatum, Texas

Oct. 5-6           Southwest Texas Junior College, Uvalde, Texas

Oct. 19-20       Northeast Texas College, Mt. Pleasant, Texas

Oct. 26-27       McNeese State University, Lake Charles, La.

Nov. 11-20      Sam Houston State University, Conroe, Texas

2018-2019 Hill College Rodeo Men’s and Women’s Team members. Not all of the students were available for the team photo.