A couple of LCCC rodeo stars shine bright during the first night of CNFR performances

CASPER, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) - The College National Finals Rodeo got underway in Casper over the weekend, but Tuesday was the first chance for some of college rodeo’s brightest stars to perform in primetime. After completing the first two slack runs, the first night of performances went down at the Ford Wyoming Center on Tuesday night.

The performances will continue through Friday night, and after that, the scores will be tallied to determine what athletes will take part in Saturday’s championship round. The top 12 performers in each event will qualify for Saturday with national titles on the line.

Bareback riding, tie down roping, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, goat tying, team roping, barrel racing, and bull riding are what make up the events of CNFR. They also proceed in that order each evening.

A couple of Laramie County Community College rodeo stars were up to the task under the bright lights during the first round of performances. Sage Miller posted a 70.0 in the saddle bronc riding, which took his score from all three rounds to 207.5 That currently makes him the second-best saddle bronc rider in the country.

Hayden Madsen, Miller’s teammate, posted a strong 2.2 in breakaway roping shortly before Miller’s mount in the saddle bronc. That was her first score posted of the week, but it put her in 11th place after one night. She’ll need some help to remain in the top 12 and qualify for Saturday’s championship round.

Stefan Tonita did not score in bull riding during his performance night, and he was unable to score in any of his three rides.

The second night of performances will begin on Wednesday at 7 p.m. For full results from Tuesday’s performances, visit here.

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