EMCC set to host collegiate rodeo March 17-19 at Lauderdale County Agri-Center in Meridian

SCOOBA — Exciting collegiate rodeo action returns to the Lauderdale County Agri-Center this coming week (March 17-19), as East Mississippi Community College's 10^th Annual Intercollegiate Rodeo kicks off Thursday in Meridian.  The three-day event will conclude with Saturday night's championship round.

This will mark the sixth straight year that EMCC has hosted a collegiate rodeo in Meridian.

Gates will open at 7 p.m. nightly. Tickets at the door are $10 for adults and $5 for students.  Admission is free for children age 5 and younger.

Men's and women's rodeo teams from several colleges and universities that comprise the Ozark Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) will compete in the event, including in-state foes Pearl River Community College and Northwest Mississippi Community College as well as the University of West Alabama.

Competitive events include bareback riding, tie-down roping, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, goat tying, team roping, barrel racing, and bull riding.

Children's events will include a calf scramble for those age 6-10 and a pig scramble for children 5 and younger.

The EMCC-hosted Meridian rodeo marks the spring opener for the NIRA's Ozark Region. Regional events are also scheduled to be held this spring in Poplarville (March 24-26), Martin, Tenn. (April 7-9), Monticello, Ark. (April 21-23), and Senatobia (April 28-30) with the ultimate goal of reaching the 2022 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), to be held June 12-18 in Casper, Wyo.

"We always enjoy hosting this rodeo in Meridian and we encourage everyone to come out to the Lauderdale County Agri-Center to support all of the outstanding student-athletes who will be competing. It should be a very entertaining three nights of college rodeo competition," said EMCC head rodeo coach Morgan Goodrich.

As the spring rodeo season gets underway following five fall regional events, the reigning Ozark Region champion East Mississippi women's team is currently ranked eighth in the NIRA national standings with a regional-best 1,610 total points. The EMCC men are presently ranked third regionally with 1,895 total points behind nationally top-ranked Missouri Valley College and No. 11 Tennessee-Martin.

In women's Ozark Region competition, EMCC heads into the spring rodeo season holding a 145-point lead over nationally 10^th-ranked West Alabama. No. 21 Missouri Valley sits third in the women's regional team standings.

Individually, the EMCC women's team continues to be led by sophomore Jaylie Matthews, who hails as the nation's top-ranked collegiate barrel racer with 790 total points after winning four of the five event titles during the Ozark Region's fall slate. Her younger sister, Taycie, is currently ranking third in the regional barrel racing standings with 335 total points after claiming her sixth career event title last fall.

The Matthews sisters, from Wynne, Ark., have combined to earn 17 career Ozark Region barrel racing event wins between them dating back to the 2019-20 rodeo season. Taycie won five times last season on the way to claiming the 2020-21 Ozark Region regular-season barrel racing title. In addition to having teamed to win all five barrel racing regional events this past fall season, the sisters previously combined to claim nine of the 10 Ozark Region regular-season barrel racing event titles during the 2020-21 season.

Also for the EMCC women, reigning CNFR participant and defending Ozark Region breakaway roping champion Blair Bryant (Hatchechubbee, AL) begins the spring rodeo campaign ranked second in the region and tied for eighth nationally in her specialty event with 300 total points.   

Individually for the EMCC men's team, reigning CNFR participant Myles Neighbors (Benton, AR) enters the spring season atop the Ozark Region's steer wrestling standings and is ranked sixth nationally with 530 total points.

Also for the Lions, brothers Cooper and Cade Cowan, out of Marshall Academy, are currently ranked fourth in the region and 12^th nationally among team roping headers and heelers, respectively, with 375 total points after closing out the fall schedule with consecutive team roping titles at Southern Arkansas and Murray State.