Cal Poly Rodeo Team Advances to the National Finals
May 12, 2017
Contact: AnnMarie Cornejo
805-756-2427; ancornej@calpoly.edu
SAN LUIS OBISPO — The Cal Poly Rodeo Team has advanced to the College National Finals Rodeo in June in Casper, Wyoming.
Six Cal Poly students will compete at the nationals from June 11-17 in multiple events, including roping, bull riding and bareback.
The students and their events are: Chase Onaka, a bioresource and agricultural engineering sophomore from Kona, Hawaii, team roping; Colton Farquer a bioresource and agricultural engineering senior from Oakdale, tie-down roping; Katie Rice, an agricultural communication senior from Clements, California, goat tying, breakaway roping and all-around cowgirl; Savannah Wirth, a nutrition freshman from Auburn,California, barrels; Wade Brown, an industrial technology and packaging senior from San Luis Obispo, bareback; and Aaron Williams, a first-year extended education student from Norco, California, bull riding.
Cal Poly’s Poly Royal Rodeo was also named the College Rodeo of the Year for the West Coast Region — a testament to the hard work and dedication demonstrated by the team, Coach Ben Londo and the program’s supporters to move Poly Royal Rodeo to Cal Poly’s Spanos Stadium, making it one of the largest collegiate rodeos in the nation.
The award was announced at the West Coast Region year-end awards banquet in Las Vegas, Nevada, on May 7.
“The Cal Poly Rodeo program has been building momentum for the last three years,” Londo said. “It has always been a well-known program; now it’s on everybody’s radar. The caliber of our athletes continues to grow, and because of the continuous support of our sponsors, we will be able to give our students even more support in the coming years.”
Londo, who is in his fourth year of coaching the Cal Poly Rodeo Team, was named Coach of the Year for the West Coast Region in 2016. A professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rider since 2003, Londo has amassed an admirable list of achievements, including being named a saddle bronc champion four times for the Columbia River circuit.
About the College National Finals Rodeo
The College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), known as the Rose Bowl of national rodeo, is where the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) crowns individual event champions in saddle bronc riding, bareback riding, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, bull riding, team roping, barrel racing, breakaway roping, and goat tying. National team championships are also awarded to men’s and women’s teams. More than 400 cowboys and cowgirls from more than 100 universities and colleges in NIRA’s 11 regions compete each year.
About Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences
Cal Poly is a nationally ranked, comprehensive polytechnic university. The university’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences is comprised of expert faculty members who take pride in their ability to transform academically motivated students into innovative professionals ready to solve the complex challenges associated with feeding the world in sustainable ways. Students have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, including ranch land, orchards, vineyards and forests, all of which provide the basis for Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing methodology. It is the fifth-largest college of agriculture in the country, with 4,000 undergraduate students. Learn more at www.cafes.calpoly.edu.
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