Women's Rodeo Starts Season With A Victory

Thursday, September 22

Marshall, Mo.

Troy University

Missouri Valley College

Women's Rodeo Starts Season With A Victory

9/27/2011 9:36:00 AM | Men's Rodeo, Rodeo (W), Rodeo

By: Brandon Lee

MISSOURI VALLEY RODEO RESULTS | OZARK REGION STANDINGS

The Troy University Rodeo team opened the fall season last weekend in at the Viking Stampede, hosted by Missouri Valley College.

This was the first of five fall events for the Trojan Spurs in the Ozark Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA).

The Trojan women's team dominated the weekend, where they posted a score of 465 points, 280 points ahead of second place Missouri Valley College. Senior Whitney Hazouri won the all-around championship with 245 points. She placed second in breakaway roping and claimed top honors in goat tying.

“The all-around is the best you can do, it's nice to get it,” Hazouri said. “The last rodeo we had last year I won, and then winning this past weekend makes me feel really good.”

Kassandra Smith shared the same success and placed in third. In the barrel racing event, Kaley Dixon placed in second, only one-tenth of a second behind Southern Arkansas' Rayann Fuller.

“Whitney had a strong presence by winning the all-around championship,” Trojans coach Josh Simmons said. “Kassandra Smith, who finished just out of the finals last year in goat tying and break away, had a really good rodeo this weekend. It's nice for Kaley Dixon to come on strong. She struggled last year, but this year she's been working hard and she came through strong for us.”

The men finished the weekend in fifth place with a score of 340 points, while the host team Missouri Valley won the overall competition with 835 points.

The highlight of the weekend for the men cam in the team roping category where freshman Jacob Locke and Jacksonville State transfer Zach Mabry won the event, posting Troy's only victory on the men's side.

“The men's team didn't have that great of a weekend, but freshman Jacob Locke and transfer Zach Mabry finished strong,” Simmons said. “I think the performance by them put a fire under everybody else.”

The Trojans will be back in action October 13-15 when they travel to Livingston, Ala., for the University of West Alabama rodeo.