Tarleton Rodeo dominates early season standings

BY MACKENZIE JOHNSON

Editor-in-Chief

With the closing of the fall semester comes a celebration of a successful season across several beloved Tarleton sports. Football has posted a nationally ranked FCS season, women’s volleyball has made leaps and bounds to secure a top-seed position and women’s soccer has put together one of the most accomplished campaigns in its young program history.

However, amid these accomplishments on turf-layered fields and squeaky gym floors, one Tarleton program’s fall season success is especially not to be overlooked – and it takes place on arena dirt.

Tarleton Rodeo is well acquainted with national success, having won a collective 41 individual and team championships over the years at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper, Wyoming. At the 2025 CNFR, Tarleton put together one for the record books by winning a Men’s Team Championship (a title also won in 2024, making history with the back-to-back win), a Women’s Team Reserve Championship and an individual championship in the goat tying.

Coming off that season’s end, the only scenario in which Tarleton Rodeo has envisioned the 2026 CNFR going any differently is if it includes more championship titles, and based on their fall season, it’s looking achievable.

Tarleton Rodeo athletes compete at 10 rodeos total, five in the fall and five in the spring. The debut rodeo took place Sept. 25-27 in Alpine, Texas, at Sul Ross University, followed by Oct. 3-4 in Abilene at Cisco College, Oct. 9-11 in Weatherford at Weatherford College, Oct. 23-25 in San Angelo at Angelo State University and Nov. 7-8 in Vernon at Vernon College.

Now, officially at the halfway point in the season, Tarleton sits No. 1 in the standings for both the men’s and women’s teams, the all-around for both the men’s and women’s, as well as leading the pack in four individual events.

Those sporting the purple Tarleton vests and holding the driver’s-spot positions are Clay Greenslade in the men’s all-around, Rylee Grace Abel in the women’s all-around, Taylon Carmody in the bareback riding, Brenson Bartlett in the bull riding, Brodey Clemons in the tie-down roping and Kaylie Garza in the goat tying.

Garza was one of the 11 athletes to qualify for the 2025 CNFR, earning a spot in the goat tying. Now a sophomore, she knows what to expect both throughout the season and on the national stage. 

“My experience of competing at the CNFR last year has pushed me to want to go further and be more successful,” Garza said. “The experience has motivated me, and I’m excited to see what more I can achieve.”

Starting off the season at Sul Ross University, Garza was the champion goat tier. She carried that momentum into clinching the reserve goat tying championship at Cisco College and the championship at Angelo State University. Garza also qualified for the weekend finals and finished in a top-10 position at the Weatherford College rodeo.

“This fall semester has gone great for me, and it has made me so thankful for everything that has helped me come this far,” Garza said. “Sitting in a strong position midway through the year gives me the confidence to carry it into the spring. Although I am super grateful and blessed for my standing, I like to focus on one rodeo at a time and turn my attention to what I need to get done in the future… First and foremost, I am thankful for God and all of His blessings, as well as my amazing coaches and the opportunities they have given me, and my teammates who push me to be my best every day.”

Garza has contributed much to the women’s team’s leading spot in the standings, but also standing on that podium is Abel, the cowgirl leading the all-around title for the Lone Star Region. 

Abel has qualified for various weekend finals this fall across goat tying, barrel racing and breakaway roping. As a result, a top spot in the all-around race just makes sense for her – with a championship in the goat tying and the all-around at Vernon College, along with another all-around and a championship in the breakaway at Angelo State University, helping to propel her forward in those standings.

“The biggest thing that contributed to my consistency is focusing on God,” Abel said. “I was not worried about the outcome in the arena. I was having fun and remembering how blessed I am to get to do what I love… I am keeping the same goals going forward. My goals have been set, and I know that if it is meant to be, God will help me through to the end.”

With the fall half of the season concluding at Vernon, she doesn’t want that pace to slow in the months between now and the first college rodeo back at the beginning of February. Abel uses her time at home over Christmas break as a balance between practicing and resting to ensure both she and her horses feel fresh heading into the spring.

“Over winter break I go home and practice with my parents and my little sister,” Abel said. “I try to focus on just the basics and staying consistent in practice. I let my horses have more days off so they can come back feeling better than ever.” 

Bartlett, the Tarleton freshman leading the bull riding, is also familiar with what it takes during the off months to ensure he can pick back up where he left off. 

“I am going to be focusing on staying in the gym and trying to remain healthy in the off season,” Bartlett said. “I will also be getting on practice bulls and going to rodeos to try and become better for me and my team for this next half of the college season.”

As a freshman, he marked his claim on the college rodeo scene, winning the bull riding at Vernon College and Weatherford College. Bartlett credits much of that early success to Tarleton Rodeo’s resources, from the people to the place.

“The Tarleton coaches have helped a bunch in shaping my performance this first semester,” Bartlett said. “They have helped me with my mental abilities and have helped me become the best I can with these amazing facilities we have.”

Greenslade, the cowboy leading the men’s all-around, similarly attests to the facility’s impact on his performance. 

“What definitely helped my all-around game is our practice pen and the great facility,” Greenslade said. “I can focus on both the bareback and saddle bronc, as well as having a great gym set up and training with Tyler Frank (Tarleton Rodeo’s athletic trainer).”

Greenslade has dipped his foot in the finals of both the bareback and saddle bronc riding all fall season long. At Sul Ross, he qualified for the finals in bareback riding, and at Weatherford College, Angelo State University and Vernon College, he qualified in both the bareback and saddle bronc riding. But rather than letting that early success create pressure, his focus is on personal improvements, not what the standings read. 

“I had a great first fall season, full of amazing new opportunities and people,” Greenslade said. “Heading into the spring, I know I can’t worry about the standings. I just need to keep riding one horse at a time to the best of my abilities and let God handle the rest.”

Sharing that success with Greenslade in the bareback riding is Carmody, who is currently leading the standings for it. Carmody has had a breakthrough fall season of his own, not just in the results he’s posting and the broncs he’s covering, but also in the mindset he’s bringing to the bucking chutes. 

“The biggest takeaway from the first half of the season is my confidence level compared to last year,” Carmody said. “Showing up to the rodeos now, I feel like it’s my rodeo to win or lose. Not hoping that I draw better than everyone else… I credit my traveling partners and teammates for helping me get to where I am this semester. We hold ourselves to a higher level, and being out on the road with them guys makes me 10x better.”

Carmody found his success at Angelo State University, where he won reserve champion, Weatherford College and Cisco College where he won the championship and Sul Ross State University, where he qualified for the weekend’s finals. However, despite those stacked wins, he understands how fleeting they can be and how to best capitalize on them. 

“I want to focus on working hard and controlling my own actions,” Carmody said. “In rodeo, especially college rodeo, some things aren’t going to go your way. It’s my job to take one horse at a time and let the cards fall how they fall.”

Beyond Greenslade, Abel, Garza, Bartlett and Carmody, the cards have also fallen well for several other Tarleton Rodeo members. When the region’s season concludes in April, the top three athletes in every event will advance to Casper for the CNFR. Tarleton already fills many of these early positions: Waitley Sharon and Cauy Masters sit second and third in saddle bronc riding, Devon Moore and Daxtyn Field sit second and third in bareback riding, Travis Staley and Dalton Porch sit second and third in tie-down roping, Clare Bjork sits third in breakaway roping and Faith Lundberg sits second in goat tying.

While these positions can certainly shift in the spring unfoldings, these athletes are preparing to either maintain or move up in their current standings. And that effort doesn’t start at the first college rodeo back – it starts now, in the time in between.