Casper, Wyo. - A pair of Rangers represented Northwest on the final night of the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming.  Will Collier and Dakota Smith each gave a valiant effort in his respective event.  Unfortunately, neither was able to come up with the desired result.   

Collier, a steer wrestler from Malden, Missouri, entered the night with a slim lead in the steer wrestling event.  He needed a good catch and a solid time to finish in the top three.  By the end of the night, a ride of 6.2 seconds or better would prove enough to win the event. 

Unlike earlier in the week, Collier's steer came out of the chute cleanly and it appeared that the bulldogger would have a solid chance.  From a vantage point on the rough stock chute at the opposite end, it appeared that Collier's steer hesitated at just the moment the Ranger leaped for it.  Whether that hesitation had anything to do with it or not, Collier was unable to get a good catch and did not score on the run. 

Despite his disappointment, Collier still managed to finish ninth in the nation with a total time of 14.4 on three head.  That total was good enough for Collier to end the week with 90.0 total points.

Smith, a bull rider from Kaufman, Texas, made the Short Go by virtue of having one of the highlight rides of the weeklong event when he needed it most.  He wowed the crowd Tuesday night on a bull named Splitten Tens from the Brookman Rodeo stock. 

Saturday night, Smith drew Stetson out of the same stock.  Though he could not win the event mathematically, the Ranger rider had a chance to move up from eighth to as high as third.  The stock had another thing to say on the final night, however, as only one finalist, Brad Moreno of New Mexico State, covered his bull with an 83.5. 

Smith nearly reached an eight-second ride, and was rewarded with a re-ride due to the bull's reversal out of the chute, but an apparent shoulder injury prevented him from taking the opportunity.  Smith held steady at eighth in a tie with Hayden Welsh of Odessa College.  His final total was 83.5, the seventh best score on the week-good enough for 72.50 points. 

Christian Cagle, a sophomore steer wrestler and team leader from Canton, Georgia, did not compete in the Short Go, but contributed 20.0 points to the team total by virtue of two solid runs on his second and third go earlier in the week.

Both Collier and Cagle made their second trips to the College National Finals Rodeo in two years.  Cagle, the 2024-25 Ozark Region steer wrestling champion and part of Northwest's largest-ever signing class to the four-year level, will continue his collegiate career at Murray State, an Ozark Region competitor of the Rangers.  Collier, the 2023-24 Ozark Region steer wrestling champion, will return to Ranger rodeo to further pursue his educational and athletic opportunities.  Smith, the freshman who also won the Ozark Region, will return as a leader on the 2025-26 squad as well.

The three Ranger athletes represented Northwest with poise and dignity all week in The Equality State.  Their team score of 182.50 bested traditional national powerhouses like Cal-Poly and the University of Wyoming.  Ranger Rodeo ended with a final team standing of #24 in the nation thanks to these young men.  That marks two top-25 finishes in the last two years. 

The future looks bright for the Rangers.  Jump on the bandwagon now or be left on the trail.

The final results from the CNFR can be found here.