LOVELAND, CO – The Laramie County Community College rodeo team was on the road at the Skyline Stampede, hosted by Colorado State University over the weekend and it was a day highlighted by some familiar faces on the individual side.

"I thought the teams did well," Interim Rodeo Coach Dean Finnerty said. "Everybody stepped up to the plate and made good runs and had a pretty good weekend overall."

The women's team was highlighted by Rayne Grant yet again. The sophomore from Wheatland, Wyoming put down the fastest time of the rodeo in barrel racing in the short go to move from sixth to first in the average with a 15.15, which was .22 seconds faster than any other time in the event.

She added another 130 points to her tally for the season and built on her lead in the Central Rocky Mountain Region standings, moving 125 points ahead of second place with just two rodeos to go.

Jentry Jenkins also picked 50 points for the women's team, finishing in fifth in the long go and sixth in the short go for fifth in the average.

"It was good for her," Finnerty added. "She rode her horse really well."

Grant wasn't done with just the barrel racing points, also making it back in breakaway where she paired a 2.8 in the long go with a 3.5 in the short go to finish in fifth for the average and bring back 40 points to add to her all-around scores. Grant also moved to just 97.5 points out of third place in the regional standings in breakaway.

The big weekend helped Grant to jump to second in the All-Around race on the women's side, which would guarantee her a spot in Casper at the College National Finals Rodeo in two events.

"She's doing really well and keeping a level head about things and is just riding her horses really well," Finnerty said. "I think she elevates everyone on the team to make them better."

Wacey Day also had a good weekend where she finished with 60 points in goat tying. The transfer is sitting in fifth place in the CRMR standings and finished with points in her sixth straight rodeo going back to the fall. She was the very picture of consistency, with a 7.0 and a 7.2 in her two runs, finishing in fifth in both rounds and the average.

"(The consistency) helps a lot," Day said. "I feel like we just have to chip away at it every rodeo. It isn't exactly where I want to be, but every bit of points helps in the end. I feel like we just have to go at it at this point. I have to get some wins to realistically make it to finals."

Kassidy Dunagan also made it back to the short go after posting a 7.6 in the long go. Her 7.3 in the final performance gave her a tie for sixth in the go and she was just a tenth of a second away from finishing in the top six for the average.

On the men's side, it was an important week for Griffin Koester in bull riding where he was one of just two who stayed on both of their bulls during the rodeo. His score of 38 was enough to get him back to the short go where he rode his second bull for a 72 and brought back 120 points to his name in the CRMR standings.

"It felt really awesome to get the first one down and go into the short go feeling confident and pumped up about it and then rode that one as well," Koester said.

He remains 200 points out of third place but keeps himself in the hunt for a second trip to Casper and the College National Finals Rodeo in one of the deepest fields in several years.

"We've had a couple more good riders come into this region and it makes it a little more fun. It really has gotten a little more competitive I would say and everyone is really fighting for those points and that win," Koester added.

Dane Pokorny also has his eyes set on a trip to the CNFR and another weekend of triple digit points kept him in second place in the region standings. After a 4.8 moved him to third place after the long go, Pokorny threw his second steer for a 6.4 in the long go and finished third in the rodeo.

The 110 points he gained kept him in second where he has a 15-point lead on the next closest cowboy and brought him to within 180 points of the top spot in the region.

"I think (Dane) set some goals this spring and it's been working well for him, and he works hard so it's fun to see him earn it," Finnerty said. "It's not easy (to score in six straight rodeos)."

Thayne Kimbrough, Rhett Witt, and Grey Gilbert also all made it back to the short go, but none of the three were able to catch their second steers and finished outside of the top six in the average. Witt was also forced to drop out of the competition due to an injury sustained on Friday in his first attempt.

Both Tucker Ravenscroft and Gage Davis are still within striking distance of a spot in the top three in the CRMR standings.

Davis didn't make it back in steer wrestling, but he did earn a spot back in the short go for tie down after he had a 9.3 on his first go which was good for fourth place in the round. He unfortunately wasn't able to register a time on his second calf and finished outside of the top six in the average.

Bareback was the final spot the Golden Eagles picked up a few more points when Tate Miller finished the long go with a score of 73 which was good for third in the round. He also rode his second bronc, but his 64 left him just two points outside of the top six in the average with a 137.

"He's been doing good, making some consistently nice rides and things should start clicking even better for him," Finnerty said about the freshman.

Unfortunately for Miller, the third-place cowboy in the CRMR had the best rodeo of the weekend, gaining 175 points and dropping Miller to 230 points out of third place.

Closing out the Golden Eagle's list of those who made the short go were a pair of teams roping duos. Grant and Gilbert joined Day and Davis in the short go, but both teams couldn't loop their short go steers and finished with no times on Sunday and outside of the points for the rodeo.

Team wise, LCCC's women did pick up another second-place finish behind the University of Wyoming. LCCC dropped to 430 points behind the Cowboys in the race for the second spot in the region standings.

For the men, LCCC finished in fifth place but still held onto the fourth spot in the season standings for the region, trailing Casper College, Gillette College, and the University of Wyoming, who jumped into the top spot in the CRMR over the weekend.

The Golden Eagles are back at it this weekend in Casper for the Ropin' and Riggin' Days rodeo hosted by Casper College. Action begins on Friday at the Casper rodeo grounds with performances on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

More information on that rodeo and the overall standings in the region can be found at www.golccc.com.