SENATOBIA - Monday was the start of a solid week for coach Shelli Benton and the Northwest rodeo program, as seven incoming student-athletes officially signed to join the Ranger family.

Colby Burgess, Bo Clem, Walker Crouch, Lucy Denton, Cheyenne Jones, Riley Lenanger and Damien Townsend make up the class of newcomers for the 2021-22 season, which will begin in September with a schedule to be announced in the coming days.

"I am excited to welcome in this new group of Rangers," Benton said. "Each one of them have a special set of skills that they will bring to help advance the program into the direction we want to go. We are ready to get to work and to start another exciting chapter in the Northwest rodeo program."

Burgess (Houlka) and Crouch (Oxford) are both slated to compete in bull riding, an area that has experienced recent success in 2019-20 Ozark Region top finisher Jacob Hodges and returning sophomore Jacorey Golden. 

Clem, a native of Senatobia, is expected to compete in team roping, another area that has seen much success in recent years with Cade Cowan and the twin tandem of Brandon and Brennan Tomlinson.

Denton (Como), Jones (Abbeville) and Lenanger (Brighton, Tenn.) will each compete in barrel racing, joining returners Cody Dowell and Logan Tomlinson. Dowell, also a women's soccer student-athlete, claimed third place in the Ranger Rodeo back in April and former Ranger Caroline Crawford placed sixth in last fall's West Alabama Rodeo, the only two placed finishes for the event last season.

Townsend, a Houston native, rounds out the signing class as a saddle bronc rider, the first Northwest competitor in that event since Alex Lockhart (2016-17).

Northwest will begin competition in September, with a formal schedule to be announced later in the week.