Runner-up men’s team finish highlights EMCC-hosted rodeo at Lauderdale County Agri-Center

MERIDIAN – The nationally ranked East Mississippi Community College men's rodeo team collected runner-up honors this past weekend as hosts of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association's Ozark Region spring season opener.  The three-day college rodeo concluded Saturday night at the Lauderdale County Agri-Center. 

Coming off consecutive men's team titles to close out regional competition last fall, the Lions collected 655 team points in their spring opener to finish behind only nationally top-ranked Missouri Valley College (1,105 points).  The Southern Arkansas University men placed third with 615 points ahead of fourth-place Pearl River Community College (430).

MVC also claimed the women's team title with 335 points over Tennessee-Martin (280).  The EMCC women finished fifth with 35 points.

Reigning All-around collegiate national champion Marcus Theriot totaled 435 points for EMCC to claim the men's All-around title in the Ozark Region spring opener.  He won the tie down roping title and finished as runner-up in both the steer wrestling and team roping events.  The Poplarville native earned 175 points with winning times of 8.3 and 8.1 seconds in tie down roping along with adding 130 points apiece during his second-place finishes in steer wrestling and team roping with respective scores of 9.6 and 13.4 seconds.

EMCC's Tristan Martin garnered 80 points for his fourth-place, tie down roping effort and fellow Lion sophomore Cooper Christensen added 30 points in steer wrestling.  In team roping, Christensen and teammate Brandon Callen earned 40 points, while EMCC's Jace Harris partnered with SAU's Cooper Lee to garner 70 points.

For the EMCC women, Carli Hodges claimed the team's 35 points in the barrel racing competition.    

Coach Morgan Goodrich's East Mississippi rodeo teams will be back in action, March 30-April 1, at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.