Laramie County Community College bull rider Kahl Wasilow, who has dominated the 2025-26 college rodeo season, goes into next month’s College National Finals Rodeo ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The University of Wyoming’s rodeo program also has made a strong statement leading up to the June CNFR in Casper, sweeping the Central Rocky Mountain Region with its men’s and women’s team in the final CNFR qualifier.
The Cowboy State’s other college programs also showed out strong at last weekend’s regional competition, the final qualifier for the CNFR.
The UW Cowboys wrapped the regular season ranked seventh in the nation and the Cowgirls finished fifth in the national standings.
Annually, each of the nation’s 13 geographic regions sends its top two men’s and women’s teams, plus the top three in each of the individual rodeo events, to the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR), scheduled for June 14-20 this year in Casper.
Gillette College’s women’s team nabbed reserve-championship honors and a trip to Casper.
And in just his first full season as coach, Pro Rodeo Hall-of-Famer Bobby Harris watched his men’s team at Sheridan College win the reserve championship to qualify for the CNFR for the first time in more than a decade.
“We’re just getting rolling,” said Harris, a Gillette native who won the PRCA world championship in team roping during his storied career. “We have high expectations at Sheridan College. We’re there to be reckoned with.”
Home Grown
Harris said 11 student athletes are already attending Sheridan College for rodeo, and he recruited 35 more. He’s assisted with coaching by Kaycee’s Sandy Bob Forbes.
“We put in a new practice structure and emphasized that it’s all about how you practice and prepare for competition,” he said. “I tell those kids, ‘You have to want it for yourself. If it’s not in you to want to prepare, you’ll never succeed at anything.’”
Several of the region’s individual champions are also second-generation winners native to Wyoming, including saddle bronc rider Jake Schlattman of Greybull.
He’s the son of Dean Schlattman, who scored similar points for UW in the 1990s and who rode broncs at the 1999 National Finals Rodeo.
“Dad’s my main guy,” said Jake, who at 6-foot-3 is even taller than his father. “He’s been coming to the college and helping us all.
“I like the practice horses that Wade Sankey brings over, and Sheridan has a pretty good ag program.”
Regional heeling champion Cael Espenscheid of Big Piney is a freshman at Central Wyoming College and is the son of Gudrid and Chad Espenscheid, who was a heeling star for UW in the 1990s.
“I roped all year with Cam Johnson, who grew up in Buffalo and goes to Gillette College,” said Cael, whose two brothers Arye and Jade also rope. “Our dads were friends and he and I roped together all through high school, too. Jade roped with Cam’s brother Coy.”
Cael is working toward a finance degree and is transferring to Gillette College next year.
“I’ve been to four national finals in high school and never made the final round, so I’m hoping this one is different,” he said.
All-Around Winner For Gillette
Meanwhile, Gillette College’s Brylee Grubb took the women’s regional all-around title.
The Spearfish cowgirl, whose father Jason grew up in Buffalo, was the regional barrel racing champion and reserve champ in goat tying.
The men’s regional all-around champ, Colorado native Traven Sharon who rides for UW, was the reserve champ in both tie-down roping and saddle bronc riding.
A couple of standouts are also headed to Casper from Laramie County Community College, coached by Wheatland rancher Dean Finnerty.
Wasilow not only dominated the regional standings in bull riding by almost 1,000 points, he scored more points than any collegiate bull rider in the nation.
LCCC will also send the regional breakaway champion, Arizona’s Rayna Billingsley, to the CNFR.
As for Harris, he’s excited to continue to recruit legacy rodeo students, he said.
One team roper and tie-down roper for Sheridan is Tyon Arneson, and his parents attended Sheridan College (his mom, Trina, is a Gillette native).
Tyon will rope in Casper with Gillette native Kash Reynolds, who attends UW.
Harris is also proud of his women’s team finishing fourth.
“We had a breakaway roper, Sierra Hilgencamp, who came from fifth in the regional standings at that last rodeo to finish as the runner-up regional champ,” said Harris. “She worked really hard.
“A year ago, I had her make some changes and I told her in one year she would have a chance to make the finals. So, it was really emotional. It was a big deal.”
Final Central Rocky Mountain Region Standings and CNFR Qualifiers
Men’s team: 1. University of Wyoming; 2. Sheridan College. Women’s team: 1. University of Wyoming; 2. Gillette College. Bareback riding: 1. Cinch Kiger, Chadron; 2. Colton Farrow, UW; 3. Eian Smith, CWC. Breakaway roping: 1. Rayna Billingsley, LCCC; 2. Sierra Hilgenkamp, Sheridan; 3. Olivia Lay, UW. Steer wrestling: 1. Jacob Wang, UW; 2. Samuel Gallagher, UW; 3. Thayne Kimbrough, UW. Saddle bronc Riding:1. Jake Schlattmann, Sheridan; 2. Traven Sharon, UW; 3. Chris Nelson, Sheridan. Tie-Down roping: 1. Tate Talkington, UW; 2. Traven Sharon, UW; 3. Treg Thorstenson, UW. Heading: 1. Drew Harper, Gillette; 2. Cam Johnson, Gillette; 3. Rowdy Weil, UW. Heeling: 1. Cael Espenscheid, CWC; 2. Jess Harper, Gillette; 3. Roan Weil, UW. Barrel racing: 1. Brylee Grubb, Gillette; 2. Makenzi Scot, UW; 3. Bridget Moey, Chadron. Goat tying: 1. Josie Mousel, UW; 2. Brylee Grubb, Gillette; 3. Caitlin Moore, Gillette. Bull riding: 1. Kahl Wasilow, LCCC; 2. Colton Clymer, CWC; 3. Aidan Sawyer, UW.
