EMCC rodeo teams place second in women's and third in men's at West Point's Eagle Ranch

WEST POINT – East Mississippi Community College's rodeo team claimed runner-up honors on the women's side and placed a season-best third in men's competition this past weekend in NIRA Ozark Region action.  The three-day, EMCC-hosted rodeo concluded Saturday night at West Point's Eagle Ranch.

The EMCC women's squad tallied 245 total points to finish behind top-ranked region foe and nationally 15^th-ranked Missouri Valley College, which totaled 405 points.  Arkansas-Monticello placed third on the women's side with 230 points followed by Southern Arkansas (190) and Tennessee-Martin (180) at fourth and fifth, respectively.   

In men's competition, East Mississippi scored 255 total points en route to finishing behind a pair of teams currently ranked among the Top 10 within the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association standings.  Defending national champion and current eighth-ranked Tennessee-Martin claimed the men's team title with 975 points ahead of top-ranked region foe and nationally fourth-ranked Missouri Valley College (705).  Arkansas-Monticello (210 points) and Cossatot Community College (180) followed in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Individually for EMCC's cowgirls, sophomore transfer Kelsey Kennemer was responsible for all of the team's 245 points with second-place finishes in the breakaway roping and team roping events to claim her third women's all-around individual title of the current campaign.  The Troy University transfer partnered with former EMCC cowboy and current Arkansas-Monticello participant Martin Walker to collect 150 points apiece with a runner-up showing in team roping.  While having also earned EMCC's other 95 points on the women's side with her second-place finish in breakaway roping this past weekend, Kennemer presently leads the NIRA Ozark Region women's all-around individual standings with 830 total points for the season.  

For the men individually in West Point, local product Palmer White, an Oak Hill Academy product, won the steer wrestling competition to earn 120 points.  The Lions' other 135 points came in the bull riding event where Newton Academy product Justin Reeves finished fourth in collecting 115 points and former Winston Academy standout Dale Chancellor added 20 points.       

Competing individually for EMCC this past weekend, Kosciusko's Winston Cheek captured the bull riding title, while Katelyn Nicholson placed in the goat tying event.

Coach Morgan Goodrich's East Mississippi rodeo squad will next compete at the University of Tennessee at Martin event, April 9-11, in Martin, Tenn.