Northern rodeo teams off to a strong start

The Montana State University-Northern rodeo teams have gotten their seasons underway and after two competitions, both teams are looking good.

The Lights and Skylights first took part in team rodeos Sept. 9-10 at the Northwest College rodeo in Cody, Wyoming. The men's team for MSU-N notched a third-place finish at the rodeo, while the women's team came in fourth.

Zane Marcenko and Kyle Clutter finished second in the team-roping competition to lead the way for the Lights, while George Marcenko finished fifth tie-down roping. Kyle Clutter also finished 10th in steer wrestling and Colten Henderson was 10th in saddle-bronc riding.

Leading the way for the Skylights team was Tara Stimpson, who finished fourth in barrel racing. Calonna Slade also finished 11th in breakaway roping.

Last weekend, both Northern rodeo teams were again in action, this time each team was in Helena for the Big Sky Regional rodeo. The Lights put together a fifth-place finish with a total of 170 points. The women's team, on the other hand, did not manage to score.

The biggest point getter for the Lights was George Marcenko, who finished second in tie-down roping with a time of 21.3. Zane Marcenko also finished with points for MSU-N as he finished eighth in steer wrestling with a time of 8.1.

Both the Lights and Skylights will be back in action this weekend at the Dawson Community College Rodeo in Glendive, followed by the University of Montana-Western Rodeo, which will be in Dillon Sept. 30 through Oct. 2.