Men Win Fifth Straight Rodeo

March 6, 2006

Garden City, KS - Southwestern Oklahoma State’s amazing run through the 2005-06 men’s rodeo season added yet another impressive accomplishment as the Bulldogs ran away from the field to capture the Garden City Community College Rodeo.

The Bulldogs totaled a season-best 625 points to finish well ahead of second-place Oklahoma Panhandle State’s 415 points. Garden City finished third with 370 points and Northwestern Oklahoma was fourth with 350 points. The team, coached by Chad Ramirez, has now won five straight rodeos and continues to build on its already significant first-place lead in the Central Plains Regional standings.

SWOSU’s Bandy Murphy (Sr., Punta Gorda, Fla.) won his third overall and second straight All-Around Cowboy award at the Garden City event. Murphy won the saddle bronc competition, finished third in the bareback event and third in the bull riding.

Teammate Steven Smith (Sr., Adrian, Mo.) won the bareback riding event thanks primarily to an 87-point ride in the long round. Smith finished in a two-way tie for second in the short round which left him alone at first in the overall average.

SWOSU picked up points in the team roping competition as Aaron Allen (So., Marshalltown, Iowa) teamed with Bacone’s Clayton Criger to finish in a two-way tie for fith in the long round of the event.

In addition to Murphy’s third-place effort in the bull riding, SWOSU got points from Paul Gavin (Jr., Monmouth, Ill.) and Daniel Gardner (Fr., Duncan). Gavin and Gardner shared fourth-place in the long round. Gavin followed with a fouth-place ride in the short round to finish fourth in the average.

SWOSU will look to make it six-for-six in its next rodeo competition that is scheduled to begin March 10 at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas.