Casper College's Roan Weil, Wyoming's Bodie Mattson prove to be a winning team at the CNFR (2024)

Roan Weil has experienced a lot of firsts this week.

The Casper College team roper made his College National Finals debut Monday heeling for the University of Wyoming’s Bodie Mattson. The two are competing together for the first time outside of jackpots after Mattson’s regular partner, UW teammate Troupe Coors, suffered an injury prior to the start of the CNFR.

Weil also is competing on Lucinda, a 5-year-old bay, for the first time after his regular horse was sidelined by an injury.

Despite all that, Weil and Mattson electrified the crowd at the Ford Wyoming Center on Thursday night with a 4.7-second run to take the lead in the third go-round.

“I knew Bodie was going to do his job,” Weil said. “So I just had to do mine. I saw my shot and I took it.”

The two had a 13.0 in the first go and a no-time in the second, but sit seventh in the average with a time of 17.8 seconds on two head. That should get them back to Saturday’s short go as only three teams competing Friday have a chance to get their third qualified run and two other teams need clean runs to overtake Weil and Mattson. The top 12 teams qualify for the short go.

“We knew we had a chance of making it back if we were quicker,” Weil said. “But I didn’t know we were going to be that fast. When I walked out of the arena I had no idea what our time was because it was loud in there.”

The two will wait and see how it unfolds Friday and then possibly head back to Casper College head coach Jhett Johnson’s ranch outside of town to rope a few more steers and get to know each other a little better.

“I think we roped together at a jackpot a couple of years ago,” Weil recalled of his college finals roping teammate. “And we came up and roped at Jhett’s house last week for a couple of days. And we entered a jackpot.”

Hopefully, the two will get more chance to rope together and fire up the crowd Saturday.

Also Thursday, South Dakota State’s Lan Fuhrer and Black Hills State’s Clayton Backhaus had a 6.2-second run to take the lead in the average with a three-run time of 23.5 seconds.

Steer wrestling

Black Hills State’s Austin Madison had a 6.0-second run — his slowest time of the week — but did move into third in the average with a three-run time of 15.9 seconds.

Montana State’s Trav Johnson had a 4.8 to tie for third in the go-round and is fourth in the average with a 16.0.

Jaden Whitman of Montana State leads the go with a 3.8 and Sam Carson of Utah Valley University sits atop the average leader board with a 13.2.

Tie-down roping

Riley Webb of Southwest Texas Junior College hasn’t had as much success as his namesake — defending world champion calf roper Riley Webb — but the college version took the lead in the third go with a 7.6-second run Thursday night.

The University of West Alabama’s Blayne Saine also had a good night, finishing his run in 9.4 seconds to take the lead in the average with a three-run time of 28.4 seconds.

Barrel racing

University of West Alabama cowgirl Jaylie Matthews, the 2021 reserve champ, had a 14.25 to tie for seventh in the go-round and is sixth in the average with a 42.87.

Defending national champ Taycie Matthews from the University of West Alabama leads the average with a 41.66 and Tarleton State’s Jordan Driver leads the third go with a 13.84.

Breakaway roping

The University of West Alabama’s Ashley Henderson and Southeastern Oklahoma State’s Laney Hoffman both had 3.6-second runs — their slowest times of the week — to move to third and fourth, respectively, in the average. Henderson is third with a three-run time of 8.6 seconds; Hoffman is fourth with a 9.4.

Texas A&M’s Madalyn Richards continues to lead the average with a 6.7 and Cal Poly SLO’s Haleigh Grant leads the third go with a 1.8.

Goat tying

Richards put herself in position to win the all-around title with a 6.0-second run to take the lead in the third go and jump to seventh in the average with a three-run time of 20.7 seconds.

Sheridan native Tavy Leno, who competes for Montana Western, is tied for third in the average with a 20.2 after her 6.5-second run.

Tarleton State’s Rayme Jones remains atop the average leader board with an 18.7.