EMCC men finish fourth at Northwest Mississippi-hosted Ranger Rodeo

SENATOBIA – The 15^th-ranked East Mississippi Community College men's rodeo team placed fourth this past weekend at the annual Ranger Rodeo.  Presented by Sycamore Bank, the three-day rodeo concluded Saturday night at the Northwest Mississippi Community College Multipurpose Arena.

Nationally fourth-ranked Missouri Valley College claimed the men's team title at the NWCC-hosted event with 665 points to finish ahead of runner-up Southern Arkansas University.  EMCC's 300 points were just five behind third-place Pearl River Community College.  The University of West Alabama followed close behind in fifth place with 295 points.

For the Lions, reigning College National Finals Rodeo All-around champion Marcus Theriot claimed the Ranger Rodeo All-around men's title by accounting for 260 of EMCC's total points with runner-up finishes in the steer wrestling and tie down roping events.  The Poplarville native collected 140 points in steer wrestling with an average score of 11.1 seconds, including a 5.0-second clocking in the first round.  Theriot added 120 points in tie down roping after posting a short-go time of 9.2 seconds.

Zack Varner, of Greenville, Alabama, secured EMCC's other 40 points in steer wrestling, while Kemper Academy product Jacob Watt also advanced to the short-go round in the event.

In team roping competition, EMCC's Ethan Wheeler partnered with UT Martin's Ross Mitchell to score 70 points apiece.

On the women's side, Southern Arkansas earned the team title over runner-up Missouri Valley.  The EMCC women placed fifth with Pulaski's Suzanne Mosley scoring in breakaway roping.

Coach Morgan Goodrich's East Mississippi rodeo teams will close out the 2016-17 portion of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association's Ozark Region schedule this week at the UA Cossatot Collegiate Rodeo.  The three-day rodeo event begins Thursday at the Four States Fairgrounds in Texarkana, Arkansas.