Saddle Up: Tarleton Rodeo is off to a great start in 2026

BY BETHANY KILPATRICK

Managing Editor

It is no secret that the “Cowboy Capital of the World” is home to some of the most impressive cowboys and cowgirls there is to offer. However, not many have the grit it takes to see the results that so many dream of in the arena.

Tarleton State University's Rodeo team athletes are no strangers to working hard for success, and that showed at their first rodeo of 2026.

Tarleton competed at the Fort Worth Stock Show Rodeo (FWSSR) College Rodeo Feb. 2-4, at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth, Texas.

After finishing the short round, the final performance after competitors advance from the qualifying round, on Feb. 4, 2026, Tarleton proudly claimed the men’s team champion and women’s team champion titles.

Team champion titles are determined by each competing college selecting four women to represent the women’s team and six men to represent the men’s team. Each member’s score from the team is added together, and the highest score takes the winning title.

In addition to the team wins, Tarleton had multiple individual wins, as well.

Athletes' scores between the qualifying round and the short round are added together for a final score, also known as the average. The champion title of each event goes to the athlete who has the best score combined after both rounds.

Devon Moore was the champion bareback rider with a winning score of 172. Jenna Fulton was the co-champion breakaway roper with a 4.8 between her two runs; Devon Hay was the champion saddle bronc rider with a score of 159 on two; Faith Lundberg was the champion goat tyer with a time of 12.6 on two; and Zane Monnett was the champion bull rider with a 160.5 after both rides.

Purple vests dominated champion titles while they competed against other skilled collegiate rodeo teams such as Cisco College, Ranger College, Angelo State University, Weatherford College, Vernon College and Sul Ross State University.

This was the first time Tarleton competed in Fort Worth, and Fulton explained how different her experience was in the city compared to other collegiate rodeos.

“Fort Worth is just a huge town,” Fulton said. “At other rodeos, you’re on the grounds, and everything is there. You are not walking across traffic with your horse, so it certainly is different. The horses will certainly get more nervous with four lane traffic walking across town.”

Rhiley Montoya, a goat tyer on the women’s team, took fifth place with a 13.1 after both runs. She was in agreement with Fulton that competing in Fort Worth was quite different from what Tarleton’s rodeo athletes had previously experienced.

“Usually the schools put on the rodeos,” Montoya said. “But Fort Worth, their pro committee actually put this rodeo on, so the schools really had nothing to do with it. It was during the pro rodeo and the stock show, so it was busy the whole time, which was really cool. We would walk across the street, and people had their cameras out. Everyone just thought it was really cool.”

Constantly striving for success, Moore describes what it feels like to accomplish the goals that he and his teammates have set.

“The most rewarding thing is to see all the hard work, blood, sweat and tears into what you do actually pay off,” Moore said. “Making a good ride, channeling the muscle memory and doing everything you know how to do and then you actually do it is pretty rewarding.”

With approximately 160 athletes on the team, having a close team dynamic might seem unattainable; however the athletes speak highly of the team bond that has developed between everyone.

“I know if any of us ever needed anything, we could call each other,” Montoya said. “And we would be there. I think that we are all really close, which is awesome. I don’t feel like a lot of teams are that close.”

Placing their identity into the sport is a struggle that Fulton and Montoya both shared, but finding worth outside of the arena has helped them grow individually.

“Understanding that we have so much outside of rodeo and understanding how blessed and grateful we should be has been super rewarding,” Montoya said. “At the end of the day, yes, we do rodeo, but that is not all we do. That is not who we are.”

Fulton views her opportunity to compete in rodeo as an opportunity to glorify God and share her faith.

“He is hoping that you can use the gift He gave you to serve Him,” Fulton said. “That has been rewarding, realizing that I can use this gift He gave me to serve Him.”

With motivated spirits and an encouraging team, Tarleton’s Rodeo team plans to take on the San Antonio College Rodeo beginning Thursday, March 5, 2026.

While the majority of the rodeos Tarleton’s athletes will be competing in are quite the long haul, fans will have the opportunity to support the cowboys and cowgirls in purple at the Tarleton State Stampede NIRA College Rodeo from Thursday, April 16, through Saturday, April 18, at the Lone Star Arena in Stephenville, Texas.

The end goal of this season that all the athletes are hoping for is a chance to compete and take the champion titles at the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper, Wyoming.

“I went into this season telling myself that I am going to make the CNFR,” Moore said. “I am just honing in on my mindset and mentality of it all. That is a very great portion of what we do, and so I am excited to keep chipping away at my goal.”

The team expressed their gratitude to all their supporters who have helped them achieve the current success they are experiencing and plan to continue to see.

“We just want to thank everyone who has been a part of Tarleton Rodeo,” Montoya said. “Whether that is Dr. Hurley, any of the alumni or anyone who supports us, because without them, we really wouldn’t be given an opportunity to rodeo, and I think that is really important to remember and to thank all of them.”