Southwestern Oklahoma State Athletics

Southwestern Oklahoma State University alum and former professional cowboy Mike Visnieski has continued the strong tradition of SWOSU Rodeo since becoming the program's head coach in 2011. The 2026-27 season marks his 15th leading the Bulldog Rodeo program.

Under Visnieski, SWOSU has collected 60 team victories at college rodeos while producing 35 Central Plains Region individual champions and 26 reserve champions. His teams have won eight Central Plains Region championships and six reserve championships while consistently advancing to the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR).

The SWOSU women have been particularly dominant in recent years, winning four consecutive Central Plains Region championships and five of the last six. The Bulldogs added three individual regional champions and one reserve champion during the 2025-26 season.

At the national level, Visnieski has coached two CNFR individual national champions, three individual reserve national champions and two women's teams that finished as national runner-up. Seven of his teams have placed inside the top 10 at the CNFR, highlighted by back-to-back CNFR Reserve National Championships for the women in 2021 and 2022 and a fourth-place finish in 2023.

Among Visnieski's individual national champions, Sadie Wolaver captured the 2022 CNFR Barrel Racing title, becoming the 23rd national champion in SWOSU Rodeo history, while Tyrell Larson won the 2012 CNFR Saddle Bronc championship. Visnieski also coached bull rider Sage Kimzey to a national runner-up finish in 2014 before Kimzey went on to win seven PRCA World Championships.

A native of Harrah, Oklahoma, Visnieski competed for SWOSU under legendary coach Dr. Don Mitchell from 1995-99. He competed in bull riding and team roping and qualified for the 1998 College National Finals Rodeo.

Visnieski went on to a successful professional career competing in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), Professional Bull Riders (PBR) and International Professional Rodeo Association (IPRA), accumulating more than $500,000 in career earnings. He was a four-time International Finals Rodeo qualifier from 2001-04, ranked among the IPRA's top money winners in 2002 and won the Longhorn World Series Championship in bull riding.

Visnieski is married to the former Edie Spencer of Pink, Oklahoma, also a SWOSU graduate. The couple has two children, Kale and Jade.