EMCC rodeo teams set for fall season opener in Missouri

SCOOBA — East Mississippi Community College's 2020-21 sports season looks to officially get underway this week (Sept. 17-19) as the EMCC men's and women's rodeo teams are scheduled to open the fall portion of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association's Ozark Region schedule in Missouri.

After having their final three spring rodeos plus June's prestigious Collegiate National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Wyoming cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the EMCC rodeo teams are set to begin the fall 2020 season at this week's MVC Viking Stampede.  Slated to kick off on Thursday and continue through Saturday night's championship round, the three-day event will be hosted by Missouri Valley College at the Saline County Fairgrounds in Marshall.

Under the guidance of reigning Ozark Region Rodeo Coach of the Year Morgan Goodrich, East Mississippi returns six members from last year's Ozark Region reserve championship women's team that qualified for the 2020 CNFR.  Headlining the 2020-21 EMCC women's squad will be the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association's reigning top-ranked barrel racer from a year ago, Jaylie Matthews, who claimed three regional titles in her specialty event during last year's fall season.  The Wynne, Arkansas native previously won the 2019 International Professional Rodeo Association's barrel racing world championship.

Also returning from last year's CNFR-qualifying EMCC women's team is Blair Bryant (Hatchechubbee, AL), who earned a qualifying spot at nationals in the breakaway roping competition.  Also back for the Lady Lions for a second season will be Kyla Matthews (Athens, TN), Mikayla Joh Almond (Olin, NC), Nikayla Brill (Summerdale, AL) and Morgan Massa (Ellerslie, GA).

The EMCC women's team has been bolstered by the addition of Jaylie Matthews' younger sister, Taycie, who captured the 2018 IPRA barrel racing world championship the year before her sister kept the world title in the family.  Former Southern Arkansas University cowgirl Macayla Womack (Hackett, AR) has also been added to EMCC's roster to give added depth in the breakaway roping and barrel racing events.

On the men's side, the Lions look to feature reigning top-ranked steer wrestler Myles Neighbors (Benton, AR) along with the return of former CNFR all-around national champion Marcus Theriot (Poplarville).  Neighbors rated as the NIRA's No. 1-ranked steer wrestler a year ago after claiming three consecutive regional event wins to begin the fall season.

A two-time Ozark Region all-around champion as well as in the tie-down roping and team roping (header) events, Theriot captured the 2016 CNFR all-around and tie-down roping national championships in leading the EMCC Lions to a school-best, fifth-ranked national team finish.  In his final year of collegiate eligibility, the six-year veteran of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association will be completing his associate's degree from EMCC during the 2020-21 school year.

Also back for the Lions this season are team ropers Clay Green (Pine Grove, LA) and Blake Crawford (Felda, FL).

A half-dozen newcomers will join forces with EMCC's four returning cowboys, including in-state team ropers Nick Gonzales (Carriere) and Zeak Shorter (Florence) by way of Pearl River Community College.  Also from the Mississippi ranks, the Lions will welcome local product Matt Watt (Scooba) along with Texas A&M-Commerce transfer Cole Curry (Liberty) and Tyler Speed (Purvis).

Watt's brother, Jacob, currently competes for the University of West Alabama rodeo team after having previously attended EMCC, as did eldest brother, Tyler.

The EMCC men look to also benefit from the arrival of transfer West Smith, who previously gained valuable experience in the Collegiate National Finals Rodeo as a member of Southern Arkansas University's nationally ranked program.

East Mississippi and the rest of the Ozark Region participants are scheduled to compete in five fall rodeo events.  Next week's (Sept. 24-26) UWA Rodeo Showdown, hosted by the University of West Alabama, is slated to be held at the Lauderdale County Agri-Center in Meridian.  Ozark Region rodeos are also scheduled to take place at Three Rivers College (Oct. 15-17 in Sikeston, MO), Southern Arkansas University (Oct. 22-24 in Magnolia, AR) and Murray State University (Nov. 12-14 in Murray, KY).