CASPER, Wyo. – SWOSU Rodeo got four top-10 individual finishes and had its women’s team finish with a fourth-place national ranking at the 2023 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) which concluded over the weekend. 

It is the women’s third consecutive top-four team finish after serving as Reserve National Champions in both 2021 and 2022, and it’s their sixth top-10 national placing under head coach Mike Visnieski. 

West Alabama won the rodeo on the women’s side in runaway fashion with nearly 700 points collectively. SWOSU wrangled 340 points, with 260 of those coming from Abby Hepper in Barrel Racing. 

Hepper posted consistent times in the first three rounds – 14.08, 14.14, 14.13 – to qualify for the short round and managed to improve even further with a 14.05 second ride to close things out. She finished third in the average, improving from an eighth place showing in last year’s CNFR.  

Freshman Cheyenne VandeStouwe finished seventh in the average in Goat Tying. VandeStouwe’s fastest round came in the third when she clocked a 6.1 second time. She then qualified for the short round and followed that up with a time of 6.3, her second 6.3 of the week, and finished tied for fourth in the round which represented her best placing of the week.

Libby Berger, competing in Barrel Racing, had her best go in the second round with a 14.29 second ride. She finished tied for 15th overall in the average. Rounding out the team was Alli Masters in Breakaway Roping. She finished tied for 16th and missed the fastest time in round one by a tenth of a second when she posted a 2.5 second run.   

Meanwhile, the men got a pair of ninth place finishes in the average from Marley Berger in Tie Down Roping and Brody McAbee in Saddle Bronc. 

McAbee rode all four broncos he had given to him at the CNFR and saved the best for last when he scored an 81-point ride in the short round.  

Berger nearly snagged the win in the short round but barely broke a barrier and suffered a time penalty. His best round came in the third with a 9.0 second time. He has now finished inside the top-10 in back-to-back CNFRs. 

Complete 2023 CNFR Results (link)

SWOSU Women - 4th

1. UWAL 698.3

2. MTSU 593.3

3. UWY 382.5

4. SWOSU 340.0

5. TXAMU 325.0

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Go 1, Go 2, Go 3, Short Go. Avg- # in the nation 

Cheyenne VandeStouwe- 6.3, 7.0, 6.1, 6.3. Avg- 7th

Abby Hepper- 14.08, 14.14, 14.13, 14.05. Avg- 3rd

Libby Berger- 14.52, 14.29, 14.64. Avg- 15-16th.

Alli Masters- 2.5, NS, 2.8. Avg- 16th-19th.

SWOSU Men - 45th

Go 1, Go 2, Go 3, Short Go. Avg- # in the nation 

Marley Berger- 12.5, 13.6, 9.0, 18.8. Avg-9th 

Brody McAbee- 73.5, 72.5, 75, 81. Avg-9th

Hunter Tate- NS, NS, NS. 

Dustin Sanchez- NS, NS, NS.