Features

Alpine, TX – Tristen Hutchings nabbed the 2021 College National Finals Rodeo Championship in Bull Riding in Casper this past week, after winning the Southwest Region Reserve Championship to qualify. A Blackfoot, Idaho native, he attended Snake River High School and started his rodeo career back in his middle school days. It’s not much of a shocker that his favorite has always been bull riding. He spent a year in Odessa before arriving at Sul Ross back in 2019. It’s good news for Coach Aragon and the team that he’s still got time on campus where he’ll graduate in 2022 with a degree in Ag Business.

“It means the world to me, it’s a great starting point to the summer, and the rest of my career. Hope to continue with this success, glad to bring the title back to Alpine,” added Hutchings.

He rode 3 times up in Casper where he rode four head at the CNFR for scores of 77.5, 74.0, and 90 for a three head total of 241.5 beating out the 2^nd place winner by 80 points. No other rider had three qualifying rides and only three other competitors rode twice. Although Hutchings took no score on his first ride, he won the second round with the 77.5 and won the final round with that blistering 90. That was enough to put him far, far out of reach. 

Hutchings wasn’t the only one to come away with some serious accolades at the conclusion of the season. Garrett Jacobs walked away with the Tie-Down Roper and Southwest Region Reserve All-Around Championships. Jacobs ends his campaign placing third in the Nation in the team roping, seventh in the nation in tie-down roping and third in the Nation in the all-around.

“Qualifying to the short go in both of my events was really special, and then to have a close friend [Tristen Hutchings] win the title in his event was really amazing to watch. I felt humbled to be a part of a growing, yet competitive team,” Jacobs commented. “CJ has done so much to give guys like Tristen and I any and every opportunity we need to win inside or out of the arena all while being a good friend himself. I really enjoyed my time at Sul Ross.”

This was followed up by Lane Cooper who won the second round of the team roping with Blake Bentley. The pair was 5.4 seconds to win the round. All in all, a great showing from the Sul Ross Rodeo Team.

It’s no secret that the Rodeo Program at Sul Ross is one of the most storied and successful programs in history. Its prestige has always put Sul Ross on the national stage.

Rodeo Team National Champions in 1949, 1950, 1951, and 1959. Rodeo Team Reserve National Champions in 1952, 1953, 1954, and 1958. Men’s National Champions in 1962, 1982, and 1983. Women’s National Champions in 1962 and 1985. Not to mention all of the great talent that have passed through here make this Rodeo Program special.

It also creates something else. Expectation. A lot of time has passed since their last title. But Coach CJ Aragon and his team wanted to put an end to that.

Coach Aragon has been revamping the program since taking over in 2018 and it hasn’t been a slow process. Amassing a new wave talent from all over the country. Things seemed like they were all coming together heading into the 2020-21 season despite the tumultuous circumstances that gripped the world with uncertainty. Sure, the talent was there. But how was it all going to play out for this stacked team?

Here’s what it looks like now that the dust has settled:

• Biggest Team in 20+ years
• Most points scored by both the Sul Ross Men’s and Women’s Teams (point system changed in 2002)
• Men’s Team Point Total—3,245 points
  • Placed 4^th in the region—Highest placing since 1986
  • Placed 6^th in the nation with the highest score for a 4-year university
• Women’s Team Points Total—1,075 points
  • Women’s team placed 5^th in the region—Highest since the 1970’s
• Most team titles season since the 1983 season.
• Most individual Championships since the 1983 season
• Men’s team ranked as high as 14^th Nationally.
• Three CNFR Qualifiers—Most since 1986 season
  • Garret Jacobs—Southwest Region Champion Tie-down Roper
    • • • Southwest Region Reserve All-Around Champion
        • CNFR Team Roping Qualifier
  • Tristen Hutchings—Southwest Region Reserve Champion Bull Rider
  • Lane Cooper—CNFR Team Roping Qualifier
• All three CNFR qualifiers won the Tarleton Stampede Rodeo to clinch their spots to the CNFR.
• Timmi Hutchings has turned in the fastest goat tying run of the year in the NIRA with a 6.4 second run at the Ranger College Rodeo
• Hannah Martin has turned in the fastest Breakaway roping run of the year in the NIRA with a 1.8 second run at the Ranger college Rodeo
• Lane Cooper, and future Lobo Blake Bentley of Weatherford College, turned in the fastest run of the year in the team roping with a 4.3 second run at the Tarleton College Rodeo.
• Ky Hamilton earned the number one ranking in the Professional ranks this past year—finishing ranked fourth in the World Standings.  He was injured in February and had hip surgery.  He is on track to be back this fall.
• Have already signed over 10 Junior College transfers to be on the team next year including several CNFR qualifiers and returning all but two students off of this year’s team.
• Next year’s team could easily be 50+ members.