SE Athletics
Matt Thomas
CASPER, Wyo. – Southeastern wrapped up its trip to the College National Finals Rodeo with a fifth-place team finish that included finals appearances by Caden Bunch and Mason Couch in Casper, Wyo.
Sports presented by Indian Nation Wholesale
As a team, the men’s squad turn in their best finish at the CNFR since a fifth-place performance in 2019.
Bunch led the way with the best finish of the week, posting a third-place effort in the bull riding. He is the first Savage Storm bull rider to advance to the CNFR finals since Mason Ward in 2019 and posts the best finish for a SE bull rider since Kolton White finished fifth place in 2017.
Bunch took a no score on his first ride but followed up with an 81.5 on his second run which was good for fourth in the round.
He would miss the full eight seconds in the third go but advanced to the finals where he was one of two riders to make the full eight, wining the finals with an 84.5 which moved him up to third in the average for the week.
In the steer wrestling, Couch continued the Storm excellence in the event as he reached the finals in the event in back-to-back seasons, matching Gus Franzen’s accomplishment in the steer wrestling in 2021 and 2022.
Couch had a pair of slowed runs to open the week, but bounced back strong in the third go to finish third in the round with a 4.6, advancing to the finals.
In the finals he would improve upon that time with a blazing 3.6 to win the finals and move up to 10th place in the average.
Franzen also competed in the steer wrestling and was on pace to make the finals after runs of 5.2 and 10.6 but a no time in the third go would drop him out of contention and he would finish the week in 22nd place.
Tyler Pruitt would post a trio of rides in the saddle bronc with marks of 70, 60, and 70 but just missed the finals and would finish in 17th overall.
Luke Thrash would open the bareback riding with an 80 in the first round but took no scores in the second and third rounds to ultimately finish 27th.
Garrett Elmore teams with Jessen James to open with a 15.4 in the team roping before adding a 3.6 in the second round which was good enough to win the round, but a miss in the third go would leave the duo on the outside in 19th place.
Bailey Witt was the lone Savage Storm woman to compete, posting a 6.3 in the first round of the goat tying. Unfortunately, she would take no scores in the second and third rounds and miss out on the finals.
