CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Chadron State senior Cinch Kiger continued to ride high on barebacks and junior Morgan Rosander was the runner-up in barrel racing at the Laramie County Community College rodeo in Cheyenne last weekend.

Kiger won the bareback title for the third time in the five rodeos in the Central Rocky Mountain Region this fall. He was third in the first go-round with 76 points and won the finals go on Sunday with an 81, an elite mark in college rodeo circles.   

The Overton, Nebraska cowboy also was the bareback winner at the Chadron State rodeo that opened the fall schedule and was first again at Sheridan College. In between, Kiger placed second at both the Central Wyoming and Lamar College rodeos. He finishes the fall season with 775 points, 250 more than runner-up Eian Smith of Central Wyoming, located at Riverton, has earned.  

Rosander's reserve champion honors at the LCCC rodeo is her best after 2 ½ years of competition at CSC, but she and her roan mare name Streaker made up for lost time in Cheyenne. They were second in the opening go-round in 16.33 seconds and were first in the finals in 16.27 seconds for a cumulative time of 32.60 seconds. 

First place went to Landry Haugen of the University of Wyoming with runs of 16.19 and 16.33 seconds for a total of 32.52 seconds. There were 106 barrel racers at the rodeo.

Chadron State had two more bareback riding placewinners. Freshman Leighton Sander of Custer, S.D., was fourth overall with a pair of 74-point rides and Tanner Olson of Gordon was sixth with scores of 69 and 70. 

In addition, Pepper Rhyne of Craig, Colorado, was eighth in tiedown roping after catching and tying his first calf in 10.4 seconds. He was much faster in the finals, completing that run in 8.1 seconds. However, he broke the barrier on his second run, absorbing a 10-second penalty.  

Mary Gibson also made the goat tying finals after finishing the first round in 7.7 seconds. But the goat wasn't as cooperative in the finals and that time was 11.7 seconds.

The spring portion of the season will begin in mid-March.