POPLARVILLE - Last weekend proved to be a strong one for the Northwest men's and women's rodeo teams, as the Ranger men placed third and the Lady Rangers earned fourth in the PRCC Rodeo.

Northwest racked up 510 overall points in the men's field of competition, placing behind weekend winner Missouri Valley College (795) and runners-up Southern Arkansas (570). The Lady Rangers tallied 195 points, finishing behind West Alabama (330), Murray State (270) and Southern Arkansas (240).

Once again, the Rangers were largely successful in steer wrestling, with Christian Cagle placing first with 150 total points. The Canton, Ga. native finished with a time of 6.3 seconds in the first round, good for 30 points. He cut that time down tremendously in the short-go, racking up 60 points with a 3.8-second time. His average of 10.1 seconds and 60 additional points gave him the winning overall total.

Kent Jordan also placed third in steer wrestling, recording 110 points and an average of 10.7 seconds. The Tallassee, Ala. native finished with a 4.9-second time in the first round, good for 60 points, while finishing with a 5.8-second time in the short-go for 10 points. He added 40 more points with the average, giving him a top three result.

Hank Burgess, Will Collier and Brayden Mahon also competed in steer wrestling, with Burgess capturing fourth place with 105 total points. Collier placed fifth with 70 overall points and Mahon added 20, with his 6.9-second time in the opening round.

Wesley Colbert was one of only two bull riders to place during the weekend, tallying 100 points and finishing just behind Jay Rodrique's (PRCC) winning total of 120. The Alpena, Ark. native was awarded 50 points in the opening round and neither rider recorded a time in the short-go.

Burgess and Cagle also competed in calf roping, with the duo combining for 75 points. Cagle's 50 points were good for fifth in the event.

Cagle also competed in saddle bronc riding and team roping with Mahon, but no points were received in either event.

As for the Lady Rangers, sophomore Darby Toole won barrel racing for the weekend, capturing 170 points. She earned a time of 14.96 seconds in the first round and was awarded 50 points and she captured an identical time in the short-go, picking up 60 points on Saturday night and 60 more in the average.

Delaney Naifeh did not receive points in barrel racing, but made up for it with 25 points in goat tying, recording a time of 7.8 seconds in the opening round and 9.5 seconds in the short-go.

In the most updated NIRA Ozark Region standings, the Northwest men are fourth out of 11 teams with 2,860.50 season points. Meanwhile, the Lady Rangers are sixth out of 13 teams with 947 points on the season.

Northwest also has a slew of athletes at or near the top of the individual standings, including Cagle and Collier, who rank No. 1 and No. 2 in steer wrestling, respectively. Jordan also sits in sixth place, followed by Burgess (10th), Wyatt Newman (12th) and Mahon (14th).

Cagle also ranks third in the men's all-around standings with 1,108.50 points, followed by Burgess in ninth. 

In bull riding, Dakota Smith tops the region standings with 400 points on the season, with fellow Ranger Luke Stanley not far behind in third place (260 points). Colbert and Collin Craig are also in the standings at eighth and 12th, respectively.

Northwest is also well-represented in tie-down roping, with Burgess, Joseph Williams and Cagle holding positions sixth through eighth. Colbran Ingram is also currently 11th with 169.5 team points and 15th in team roping.

Naifeh and Toole highlight the Lady Rangers in the barrel racing standings, with Naifeh currently in eighth with 232 points. Toole is 12th following her weekend finish, currently holding 170 season points. Additionally, Toole is tied for 13th in breakaway roping, trailing teammate Emily Fugate, who is eighth in the region with 175 points.

Naifeh rounds out the women's individual standings with 240 points in goat tying, good for seventh place.

After an extended break, only two events remain on the regular season schedule for the Ozark Region. The UTM Rodeo is next up, scheduled for April 17-19 at UT Martin. That will be followed by the annual Ranger Rodeo, scheduled for Apri 24-26 in Senatobia.

More details on the Ranger Rodeo will be released later this week.