CASPER, Wyo. – Three individuals competed for SWOSU at the 2019 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), which concluded on Saturday night at the Casper Events Center, with senior Bull Rider Nathan Hatchel advancing to the short round in his third and final CNFR appearance
 
Hatchel rode his first two bulls of the week, earning scores of 65.0 and 72.5 points, which put him in the top 10 entering the short round. The clock stopped on his final ride at 7.68 seconds after Hatchel's free hand made contact with the bull, leaving him without a score which would have vaulted him higher up the leaderboard. When the dust settled, Hatchel had 137.5 points on two-of-four bull riding attempts to split 10th at the CNFR.
 
Sloan Smith qualified for the CNFR in Team Roping and competed alongside Chance Anderson of Colby Community College. The duo was unsuccessful in their first two attempts before recording a time of 13.6 seconds in the final round, but that wasn't enough to send them back to the arena on Saturday night.
 
Shelby Lankford was in a five-way tie for sixth place in the opening round of Breakaway Roping in 2.5 seconds and had another 2.5 on the way in round two, except she broke the barrier for a 10-second penalty. A no-time in the third round kept Lankford out of the short round as well.
 
"I'm really proud of Nathan, Shelby and Sloan for competing well at the CNFR with the stock they drew," SWOSU Head Coach Mike Visnieski said. "Both Nathan and Shelby were one tiny mistake away from finishing much higher, but I thought all three of our athletes laid it on the line to win in Casper and that's what I'm the most proud of. They are winners who are not afraid to fail and they made a firm commitment to their game plan and saw it through, which is all I can ask for as their Coach."
 
In addition to her performance, Lankford was awarded the George Howard Memorial Scholarship, a $1,000 scholarship which was presented to her on Wednesday evening. George Howard coached for 35 years at the collegiate level – including a stint at SWOSU while Lankford's father, Justin, was on the team – garnering seven national team titles, 27 individual national champions and numerous regional individual and team titles.
 
A second in-arena presentation recognized former Bulldogs as the NIRA recognized past national champions in attendance during Friday night's performance. Legendary SWOSU Head Coach Dr. Don Mitchell and Clark Dees of the Bulldogs 1999 National Championship team were on hand and honored in front of the crowd in Casper.
 
"We will dearly miss Hatchel and Sloan next year," Visnieski said. "I'm really excited for Shelby and I have no doubt she will bring the heat for us next season. Congratulations to all three for a solid year in College Rodeo!"
   
Men's Team
1. Panola College, 825
2. Hill College, 675
3. Clarendon College, 660
4. Sheridan College, 570
5. Southeastern Okla., 515
- - -
52. SWOSU, 30
 
Women's Team
1. McNeese State, 462.5
2. College of Southern Idaho, 370
3. Tarleton State, 305
4. Lassen College, 285
5. Wyoming, 275
- - -
35. SWOSU, 10
 

Breakaway	Round 1	Round 2	Round 3	Short Go	Total	Avg
Shelby Lankford	2.5 sec, T-6th	12.5 sec, 28th	NS	-	-	25th
Team Roping
Sloan Smith	NS	NS	13.6 sec., 22nd	-	-	39th
Chance Anderson (Colby)
Bull Riding
Nathan Hatchel	65.0, 13th	72.5, 6th	NS	NS	137.5 pts	10/11