The CMU rodeo team continued their hot streak at the rodeo hosted by Colorado Northwestern Community College. 
 
It's beginning to feel like the Rocky Mountain Region isn't able to host a short go without the CMU women making their presence felt.  For the third week in a row, both Wylee Mitchell and Ky Murphy came back to the short round in the Barrel racing (2^nd and 3^rd respectively) this time also joined by Taylor Davis for her second qualification of the still new 23-24 season.  Wylee would go on to win the short round by over 3 tenths of a second for the win in what is already shaping up to be one of the tightest overall event races for the regional title.  Even more impressive, she's masterfully and seamlessly transferred between two horses, both of which come from her home raised and home trained herd.
 
Mitchell did take on her usual multi-tasking for the weekend, qualifying back to the Saturday night final round in Goat tying, meeting her fellow CNFR qualifiers of Justise Jones and McKenna Clingman there for another wave of CMU dominance.  The unique challenge of a 165 foot score in the wide open Craig arena proved to be an easily overcome challenge for the Mavericks.  Justise Jones held course on 3 runs, winning 3^rd in both rounds and the average, while former Regional Champion McKenna Clingman stayed just as consistent with 2 2^nd place finishes in the rounds and the overall win with a 16.6 on two head. 
 
In the breakaway roping the CMU name was loud and proud, as 5 out of the 10 qualifiers back to the short round were all wearing that Maverick maroon.  Clingman led the charge on her way to the All-Around title for the week in the high call position while Aleah Mazurek, Erica Blum, Elizabeth Smith, and Haylee Stroud  joined her.  Mazurek and Smith both used it as an opportunity to earn their first points of the season, (for Smith, doing so in her first entry of her season.)  Erica Blum's run on Saturday night marked the first time in her career where she made back to back short-rounds, and Haylee Stroud is putting some freshman power to work.  All in all the Mavericks ended up 2^nd (Clingman) 3^rd (Stroud) 5^th(Mazurek) 7^th (Smith) and 9^th (Blum.)
 
The two big stories of the weekend however were the overall dominance and spread of the Women's team.  After starting the first two weeks getting edged out by Utah Valley University for the number one ranked spot in the Rocky Mountain Region they used an insanely dominant weekend to acquire 580 points and leap to the number one spot in the region, and currently holding the #3 spot in the Nation!
 
Plus, Freshman Rusty Gabbard had the weekend he'd been waiting for, being the only bull rider in the Rocky Mountain Region so far this year to cover both bulls of Rockin' B Rodeo in one weekend, giving him an easy victory in the average, and rocketing him all the way to the number one spot in the regional standings.
 
The Mavericks travel to Utah State University in Logan on the 29^th of September before getting one weekend off at home while the host this year's Bull Bash And Breakaway Battle Fundraiser at the Mesa County Fairgrounds on Friday night October 6^th.  Tickets for that event are available online at supportingcmu.com