LEVELLAND — The South Plains College men's and women's rodeo teams return to the arena Oct. 25-27 in Lubbock at the Texas Tech Rodeo at the Texas Tech Equestrian Center.

South Plains enters the weekend ranked in the top five in the men's and women's divisions, as the Lady Texans currently sit in third place overall with 662.50 points, trailing only Weatherford College (710), and Tarleton State (1,425). The Texans currently rank fourth in the Southwest Region with 1,085 points, with Cisco College (1,290), Tarleton State (1,325), and Clarendon College (1,590) holding the top three spots.

Last time out:

In their previous outing at the West Texas A&M Rodeo in Amarillo, South Plains freshman Cooper Bennett led the Texans to a top-five finish as he captured his second bareback riding event title on the year. Bennett won the long round with a score of 79, which he followed up with a 74 in the finals, capping the event with 180 points for the Texans who finished fifth overall with 250 points. Bennett also won the bareback event title in week one at the Eastern New Mexico University Rodeo.

The Lady Texans, who finished second overall in the team standings with 135 points placed two cowgirls in the breakaway roping finals as Delaney Kunau took fifth and Kody Criswell placed seventh. Kunau ended the event with 75 points, turning in a time of 2.6 in the long round before clocking a 4.7 in the finals, ending with a 7.30 average. Criswell also ran a 2.6 in the long round before clocking a 12.7 in the finals, tacking on 35 points for the Lady Texans as she finished with a 15.30 average.

Freshman Dawson Stewart wrestled his way to a fifth-place finish in steer wrestling as the Erda, Utah native turned in a time of 4.7 in the long round and a 4.6 in the finals, earning 70 points for the Texans as he finished with a 9.3 average. South Plains' Kaytlyn Miller added 100 points in the goat tying event as the freshman from Dammeron Valley, Utah placed third overall. Miller ran a 7.6 in the long round and a 6.4 in the finals to end the event with a 14.0 average.

The Texans placed two cowboys in the team roping finals as Logan Kenline teamed up with Cheeto Villiant of Clarendon College, placing eighth overall after running a 7.1 in the long run but missed in the finals to end the event with a 107.1 average. South Plains' Grady Quam and Cisco's Paden Bray won the long round with a time of 4.8 but were a no time in the finals as Bray was unable to compete.

South Plains athletes ranked in the Southwest Region:

Cooper Bennett, 2^nd, Bareback riding.

Colton McCarley, 9^th, Tie Down Roping.

Britton Bedke, 11^th, Tie Down Roping.

Dawson Stewart, 7^th, Steer Wrestling.

Hayden Cloward, 2^nd, Team Roping Header.

Grady Quam, 5^th, Team Roping Header.

Hadley Cloward, 2^nd, Team Roping Heeler.

Cody Huwa, 11^th, Team Roping Heeler.

Kaytlyn Miller, 15^th, Barrel Racing, 2^nd, Goat Tying.

Delaney Kunau, 3^rd, Breakaway Roping.

Kody Criswell, 4^th, Breakaway Roping.

Elle Eagles, 8^th, Goat Tying.

Texas Tech Rodeo full draw: http://nebula.wsimg.com/aadf490bd8de5d0879c673b53e5b7ec7?AccessKeyId=74F232E83CADD3B9071D&disposition=0&alloworigin=1