Sixteen Bobcats head to Wyoming for College National Finals Rodeo

Sixteen Montana State University student-athletes will travel to Casper, Wyoming, next week to compete in the College National Finals Rodeo. Competition is scheduled for June 14-20, 2026 at the Ford Wyoming Center, and the complete schedule is available at cnfr.com/schedule/.  

The Bobcats are Big Sky Region champions in both the men’s and women’s rodeo teams for the third consecutive year. They will send nine men and seven women to the CNFR to compete in saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, bull riding, steer wrestling, tie-down roping, team roping, breakaway roping, barrel racing and goat tying. 

A list of the competing students and their events are included below.  

Men  

• Holden Atkinson – bull riding. 
• Preston Bird – team roping (heeler). 
• Ryder Gaasch – steer wrestling. 
• Cole Gerhardt – bareback riding. 
• Wyatt Jensen – tie-down roping; team roping. 
• Ryley Mapston – tie-down roping. 
• Cooper McNiven – saddle bronc riding. 
• Tahj Wells – bull riding; saddle bronc riding. 
• Jaden Whitman – steer wrestling. 

Women  

• Hailey Burger – breakaway roping. 
• Piper Cordes – barrel racing. 
• Faith Marshall – goat tying; barrel racing. 
• Michaela McCormick – goat tying. 
• Anneliese McCurry – barrel racing. 
• Rachel Ward – breakaway roping; barrel racing. 
• Haven Wolstein – breakaway roping. 

For fans traveling to Casper, tickets are available for purchase through Ticketmaster. Competition will also be broadcast live on ESPN3 and the ESPN app, which require a subscription. 

–Montana State University