If it's CNFR time, it has to include WC

Coyotes ride on to Wyoming for College National Finals Rodeo

If it's CNFR time, it has to include WC
June 11, 2025
It's hard to imagine a College National Finals Rodeo without Weatherford College being a part of the field. In fact, many of the competitors at this year's event were either not born yet or were in diapers the last time a CNFR was held without a participant from WC.
 
Since 2005, the only time WC wasn't represented in the annual event in Casper, Wyoming was 2020 - which also happens to be a year that no competitors were there because of the COVID 19 pandemic. It's more than a good bet, though - in fact, pretty much a sure thing - the program would have been there had there been a CNFR.
This season, the Coyotes have two competitors in the rodeo that takes place June 15-21 at the Ford Wyoming Center, juniors Jacee Graff in goat tying and Cashton Weidenbener in team roping-heeler. Both won the Southwest Region championship in their respective events, as did junior Catcher Gasperson in steer roping.
 
Gasperson finished fifth in the nation at the College National Finals Steer Roping competition on May 26 at Clarendon College.
Graff is making her third straight trip to the CNFR, having qualified the previous two seasons with Frank Phillips College. Weidenbener is making his first appearance.
"The field will be tough, but the tough usually come out of the Southwest Region, so I feel confident," Coyotes coach Johnny Emmons said. "If they'll just be themselves and go out and do what they know how to do, with a little luck, they can win big.
 
"They are both very strong competitors. We may be small in numbers but we have two national contenders for sure."
Not only does WC have a strong history of qualifying athletes for the CNFR, they also have a strong history of success once there. Most notably the women's quartet of Bradi Good, Brie Wells, Kristen Reeves and Kodey Hoss, a group that captured the first team national championship in WC history in any sport in 2022.
 
Wells was reserve national champion (second) in breakaway roping, while Good was third in barrel racing and Reeves took third in goat tying.
That same season, arguably the best in the program's history, saw Jace Helton win a national championship for the men in team roping - following with a reserve championship in 2023. Also, Chance Thiessen set a CNFR record in tiedown roping with a time of 7.3 seconds in winning one round in 2022.
 
Other national champions in program history include Timber Moore, Rookie of the Year in 2005; Cody Tew, team roping-header in 2007; Arena Robertson, Women's All-Around, reserve champion in team roping-header in 2008; Cole Wheeler, team roping-header in 2016; and Trent Sorey, national steer roping champion in 2023.
 
Also, Casey Tew set a CNFR arena record with a time of 3.9 seconds in winning a round of team roping-header in 2016.
 
The WC men also qualified as a team in 2014. And Dawson Gleaves was a reserve bull riding champion in 2023.
 
Graff comes into the CNFR ranked fifth nationally in goat tying. She set a WC record for points in a season in her event with 1,057.5, eclipsing the previous record of 665. She is third all-time in points scored in a season, behind Lane Livingston with 1,405 in tiedown roping in 2016 and Leighton Berry's 1,070 in bareback riding/calf roping in 2019.
 
"The CNFR is such a neat experience. I'm super excited to compete for a national title again this year," Graff said. "College rodeo is the only time that rodeo is considered a team sport, so it's pretty neat that my personal success also reflects on the college. WC rodeo has a great reputation and I'm proud to be a part of it."
 
Weidenbener added, "I'm excited to see the setup. I would love to bring the title home for WC because I love the school and I believe Johnny is an amazing coach."
 
WC has also sent quite a few competitors on to the professional ranks. Among the most notable are National Finals Rodeo average champions in barrel racing (Jordan Peterson-Briggs in 2007-08) and breakaway roping (Sawyer Gilbert in 2020-21).
The program has also produced several PRCA Rookies of the Year in their respective events: Brandon Reeves, team roping-header, 2005; Reese Reimer, tiedown roping, 2012; Will Woodfin, team roping-heeler, 2013; Tyler Milligan, tiedown roping, 2017; Chance Gasperson, steer roping, 2018; Cole Clemons, tiedown roping, 2024; and Sorey, steer roping, 2024.