NCTA Team Ropers Lead The Region

  November 7, 2008 (Curtis, NE)         

NCTA's Rodeo Team has finished its fall season in fine standings with the Great Plains Region.  The men's team is currently sitting in the number five spot. Leading the team are Zach Merritt of Wellfleet and Levi Tyan of Hayes Center; they are leading the team roping standings with 330 points, 30 points ahead of the second-place team. The team has other top ten finishers as well: Merrit also holds eighth place in the saddle bronc riding; Travis Hart of Frederick, SD, is in eighth place in the bareback riding; and Heath Zuellner of Campbell, NE, is tied for tenth in bull riding.

The team competed in rodeos this fall at the University of Wisconsin, River Falls; Iowa State University; Iowa Central Community College; and North Dakota State University. While the team is finished for the fall, the spring rodeo season begins again the first weekend of April. After the spring rodeo standings are compiled, the top three contestants in each event will qualify for the College Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming. Head Rodeo Coach Dallas Talkington notes, "Finishing 5th out of 13 schools for the fall is a success.  Zach and Levi have been very competitive in the team roping and they are looking at competing in their first College Finals Rodeo."  For more information concerning the NCTA Rodeo Team, contact Dallas at 1.800.3CURTIS.