Being 'Rowdy' leads to national finals spot

Rowdy Moon has become a familiar bareback riding competitor at area rodeos including last summer’s Red Willow County Fair event in McCook.

Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette

He’s going to nationals.

Mid-Plains Community College Rodeo Team member Rowdy Moon won the bareback riding during the Hastings College Rodeo in Hastings over the weekend.

The Sargent native went into the rodeo second in the region and ended up winning both rounds and the average. It was more than enough to secure him a spot at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo. in June.

“He clinched it,” MPCC Rodeo Team rough stock coach Dustin Elliott said. “He cannot, mathematically, get knocked out at this point.”

Moon wasn’t the only one to win his event at Hastings.

Riley Weehler, of Maloy, Iowa, was first in the tie down roping, after consistently placing fifth and sixth in the event all year.

His teammates, Reece Weber, of Valentine, and Wyatt Killion, of Ainsworth, who came in third in the team roping.

In the steer wrestling, Cyler Dowling, of Newell, S.D., was second and Kris Rasmussen, of Riverdale, was third.

Garrett Heinert, of Papillion, placed third in the bull riding and Garrett Wickett, of Norfolk, ended up fifth.

MPCC finished first in the men’s team standings for the second time this season. The college has been leading the category in the Great Plains Region since winning its hometown rodeo back in September.

“We just dominated,” Elliott said. “There were a lot of kids who contributed to the weekend as a whole. Basically, anyone who wasn’t on our six-person points team was playing defense. It’s never just about those six. It’s an entire team effort.” The season’s last rodeo will be Friday- Saturday in Dickinson, N.D.