Women’s team seeks to hold on to national berth

College rodeo season returns from its winter hibernation in the Big Sky Region this weekend as the Northwest College Trappers gear up to travel to Bozeman for action at Montana State University. While still technically the same season as last fall, there has been a flurry of action outside the arena.

For starters, Del Nose is back in control of the Trappers’ rodeo program. Nose tags in for former interim coach and professional rodeo icon Dan Mortensen, who continues to come to Powell one day per week to assist with practices.

“I’m excited and glad to be back,” Nose said of his return to NWC, which comes roughly 21 months after he had announced his resignation as the team’s coach. “Dan is coming down one day a week to help still. He comes down, enjoys working with the kids and then heads back to Billings until the next week.”

Nose notes the team used the midseason break to attend some rodeo schools, which has helped the group to improve immensely.

“We’ve had a real solid set of practices for the last month or so,” Nose said. “The kids are looking sharp. The girls are looking really good and our timed events are really coming on.”

All eyes will be on the Trappers’ women’s team when action resumes this weekend. Northwest College has spent the winter sitting on the No. 2 spot in the Big Sky region and a 94.5-point advantage over their nearest pursuer, the University of Montana.

The top two teams in the Big Sky region at season’s end advance automatically to the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper.

“The way I’m looking at the picture, they’ve really matured and come on,” Nose said of the Trapper women. “I think they’ll be really solid and competitive and I think they’ll stay right there. They’re really working for it and the practices have been great.”

The autumn success for the Northwest College women came in large part due to the barrel racing efforts of Cheyenne Saltsman. Saltsman currently leads the Big Sky region and ranks No. 12 nationally in barrel racing — a ranking that might be artificially low given the fact that eight regions have held more rodeos than the Big Sky region to date. Saltsman holds a 28-point edge in the regional standings over her nearest pursuer and, with 610 points this season, has more than double the number of points accrued by all but two other competitors in the region.

Steffani Hofrichter is fifth in the region’s goat tying standings and also sits in the top 15 of the team roping standings. Heather Knerr is a top-15 performer currently in both goat tying and barrel racing.

The top three performers in each event qualify automatically for the CNFR.

On the men’s side, the Trappers sit in fifth place in the regional standings, but upward movement could be difficult this spring. Northwest College is staring at a chasm of more than 1,000 points between themselves and the top four teams in the region. The Trappers scored 1,111 points as a team during the fall half of the season.

With the team more than 1,700 points out of CNFR qualification position within the region, the Trappers’ focus this spring will be on getting individuals into the top three of the event standings and into automatic qualifying position for Casper.

Timothy Stevenson and Tyler Owens are in the best position for Northwest at the moment. The pair sit 4-5 in the bull riding standings presently with Stevenson just 18 points out of third place. One good rodeo could be enough to bump either rider into the top three.

Clinton Griffis is sixth in the bareback standings and 11th in the saddle bronc. Nose has high hopes for him in the spring semester.

“He’s been riding strong in the bareback,” Nose said. “In my gut, he’s a contender to be going to the finals.”

Another rider with a strong outlook this spring is Newt Novich. Novich was in fifth place heading into the spring in the steer wrestling standings. With less than 60 points between him and the No. 3 slot, Novich is well within striking distance for a late-season surge.

“Novich is bulldogging good,” Nose said. “He’s been looking strong.”

The Trappers will also get a boost the spring semester with the addition of bronc rider Lane Ternan, formerly at LCCC. Nose calls the newest Trapper rodeo member a “great bronc rider” and a “real asset to the team.”

“We’re chomping at the bit to get going,” Nose said. “We want to see how things play out and hopefully come up with some points and a push on the way to the CNFR. The team effort has really been amazing, actually.”

The weekend is particularly important to the Trappers’ chances on all fronts. The Montana State University-hosted event, which begins Thursday and runs through Sunday, counts as two rodeos for the region’s standings. Only three events remain on the schedule at the conclusion of this weekend.

The Trappers also have the Big Sky regional rodeo in Helena, Mont., the Dawson Community College rodeo and the University of Montana rodeo left to compete in to close out the 2011-2012 regular season.