Tarleton State Rodeo wins big at Ranger College Rodeo

BY MACKENZIE JOHNSON

Managing Editor

In typical Texan fashion, Tarleton Rodeo clean swept another weekend at the Ranger College Rodeo in Sweetwater, Texas, March 27-29. 

As of March 31, 2025, Tarleton Rodeo’s men and women’s team are ranked number one in the standings for the Southwest Region, no doubt in correlation to the team’s performance at the second rodeo of the spring semester in Sweetwater. 

By securing both a men’s and women’s team championship, along with three individual event championships, Tarleton continues to steam ahead in accumulated National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) points. 

At Ranger, Roedy Farrell won the bareback riding, Montgomery Parsons won the saddle bronc riding and Hadley Tidwell won the barrel racing. 

Besides the three event champions, 24 Tarleton Rodeo athletes qualified for the short round (the weekend’s finals) on Saturday, further contributing points to the team’s total.  

Garrett Roffino, Wyatt Crandall, Cole Wilson, Connor Callihan and Mason Bice qualified in team roping. Brooklyn Balch, Maci McDonald, Marcela Fuentes and Jordan Driver qualified in barrel racing. Taylon Carmody and Devon Moore qualified in bareback riding. Travis Staley and Brayden Roe qualified in tie-down roping. Jacelyn Frost qualified in breakaway roping. Teel Sikes qualified in steer wrestling. Cauy Masters, Gus Gaillard, Waitley Sharon and Bailey Small qualified in saddle bronc. Shyanne Baurle, Keni Labrum and Rylee Abel qualified in goat tying and Mason Spain and Riggen Hughes qualified in bull riding. 

Many of the short round qualifiers were not first timer finalists, but it was Parsons’ first time winning a saddle bronc riding championship so far this rodeo season.

“It feels good to get a win,” Parsons said. “The 2025 rodeo season has been my best so far. I just have been so blessed to be a part of the great team at Tarleton. Mark (Eakin) helps us out so much with practice, and you just can’t beat the atmosphere here at Tarleton.”

This atmosphere in the practice pen plays a large role in the high number of Tarleton athletes who make it to the short round on rodeo weekends. 

“The practices we have at Tarleton are awesome – everyone is pushing you to get better,” Parsons said. “We all work hard, and I get just as happy when one of the boys wins as I do when I get the opportunity to.”

Beyond his teammates, Parsons thanks two specific individuals for his overall success. 

“I credit Mark for helping me get to this point,” Parsons said. “He's such a great coach and is always there to help, in and out of the arena. No matter what, you can count on him. My grandpa is also a major part in my rodeo journey. I talk to him before and after every ride. No matter what, good or bad, he always has something positive to say and keeps me on track.” 

With so many influential supporters in his corner, Parsons is feeling confident in his race to finish out the college rodeo season strong.

“I just plan to keep my nose on the grindstone and keep on keeping on,” Parsons said. “I take it one day at a time and keep my mind focused. All the guys at the Tarleton make it so easy to stay sharp – they all want to win, and we all want each other to win.”

Tidwell, the barrel racing champion at Ranger, shares a similar mindset as the end of the season looms ahead. 

“I try not to look at standings or look at points and just try to make a safe clean run every time,” Tidwell said. “My plan moving forward is to not take everything too seriously. I know my horse has the talent, I just need to stay out of her way and leave everything else in God's hands. He has my will written out already.”

On a daily basis, Tidwell’s motivation is rooted in the fact that this rodeo season is her last. 

As a senior whose May graduation is fastly approaching, Tidwell is striving to qualify back to the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in June one last time – but not at the expense of enjoying the remainder of her final college rodeo season.

“So many things keep me motivated to keep pushing through this point of the season,” Tidwell said. “One being this is my last semester of college rodeo and to take it all in and slow down. Knowing that the season is coming to an end can add some pressure with trying to end up in the top three (in order to make the CNFR), but the pressure should be your motivation to keep working as hard as you can.”

Although the Southwest Region is one of the most competitive regions to college rodeo in— especially in the barrel racing— Tidwell has placed consistently at the top. Accomplishing such a feat requires discipline on the rider's end of things, but it also requires an immensely talented horse. 

“The type of horse it takes to compete at the college level, especially in such a tough region, is one who goes out there and gives it their all,” Tidwell said. “It’s hard to not compare yourself or your horse in the rodeo world, but having a horse that you know will give you 100% each run makes it easier on you. I really don’t have words to describe how thankful I am for the horses that I have, and what makes it even cooler is my mom has trained them all. She has put so much work into these horses, and I just get to jump on them and go – I don’t think I would be competing at this level if it wasn’t for her.”

Despite the pressure that comes hand in hand with competing at this level—and the added weight of it being her senior year—Tidwell leans on the reminder of her many blessings when faced with these expectations she can sometimes place on herself.

“Looking back on the season, something that has really stuck out to me is how blessed I already am,” Tidwell said. “I’m already blessed before I run in the arena – with the opportunity to be at the college rodeo, with the friends and family I have that are cheering for me and how much God has let me accomplish so far. Once I realized this, so much pressure was taken off of me to try to be perfect and to not put my identity in things that can change.”

Following the Ranger College Rodeo, Tarleton competes at the Western Texas College Rodeo in Snyder, Texas, April 3-5, the Howard College Rodeo in Big Spring, Texas, April 10-12 and the Tarleton Stampede Rodeo in Stephenville, Texas, April 24-26 – and they make the most of the opportunity to be there.

This opportunity to be at the rodeo is one not only Tidwell holds closely, but it's one all Tarleton rodeo members value, and they’ll continue to hold it at their core for the remainder of the season.