Men Place 6th at K-State

February 24, 2009

MANHATTAN, Kan. - The Southwestern Oklahoma State University men's rodeo team opened its 2009 season with a sixth-place finish at the Kansas State Rodeo. SWOSU collected 140 points as a team. Oklahoma Panhandle State was the overall winner with 675 points followed by Northwestern Oklahoma State University with 435 points. The host, Kansas State University, finished third with 230 points.

Dusty Gracia was the top point producer for SWOSU finishing second in the bareback riding competition. Gracia had a 77-point ride to finish second in the long run and a 74-point ride to finish third in the short run. The two rides combined left him with a second-place finish in the average.

Teammate Justin Anderson also did well in the event finishing sixth in the long run in the bareback competition.

Brandon Barber scored points in the calf roping competition with a fourth-place finish in the short round. His time of 10.2 seconds and a top 10 finish in the long round were not enough for him to place in the average.

SWOSU will next compete at the Garden City Community College Rodeo beginning Feb. 27.