Grand Junction, CO - Congratulations, to the CMU Rodeo team for the selection of the 2021 Maverick Stampede as "Rodeo of the Year." The Maverick Stampede is held annually at the mesa County Fairgrounds and is the last rodeo of the conference.

 With 14 schools in the Rocky Mountain Region Conference, Rodeo of the Year is selected by a vote of the entire region's participating coach's and students.  When voting for which rodeo is deserving of the award, voters are asked to consider factors like professionalism of rodeo production,facility, town, hospitality, quality of competition, crowd size, and overall atmosphere. This is CMU's first title. In addition the team was voted this season's Most Improved Rodeo. 

The CMU Rodeo program continues to grow under the leadership of Coach Branden Edwards. When Coach Edwards took the helm in fall of 2018, the roster comprised of 4 actively competitive team members. Fast forward to fall 2021, the roster comprises of over 20 student-athletes from 8 states and 1 Canadian province.

When asked what it means for the Maverick Stampede to be named "Rodeo of the Year," Edwards said,

"Huge and Humbling.  Winning rodeo of the year was a goal that I had set for myself to accomplish within my first three years.  Rodeo is unique in the sense that most sports have around 50% of their contests as home games, and we only get one home rodeo.  That means we only have one opportunity to get people in the stands and create that relationship with our sponsors, fans, and supporters in the community.  Putting on a high quality production is critical for us as an organization, and winning rodeo of the year validated that we did that.  Plus it's the only time that our members get a home field advantage, so we might as well try to make that a huge advantage!"

As another season approaches, the team is looking forward to a full and open travel schedule, continuing to grow as a team, and making rodeo more accessible for everyone. With the outstanding talent and leadership from more senior athletes, the team looks posed to have an amazing season. Go Mavs!