ALVA, Okla. – At a glance, the saddle looks fairly ordinary.
It’s tan and brown with beautifully tooled leather, and the inscription on the fenders read, “2026 NWOSU All Around Cowgirl.” The meaning behind it is what is special to Northwestern Oklahoma State University cowgirl Savannah Greenfield.
“I will treasure that saddle forever,” said Greenfield, a senior from Lakeview, Ore. “I won’t ride the saddle; I’ll definitely put it on a saddle stand and keep it at my house.”
Sure, the all-around championship at this past weekend’s Northwestern rodeo is a big deal, but there’s more to it. The trophy was donated by Kelsie and Ryan Domer in memory of their 3-year-old daughter, Oaklynn, who was killed in a horse accident this past February; her mother is from Cherokee, Okla., a 25-mile drive from Alva, and her dad is a former Ranger.
“It’s really cool that they donated this saddle,” Greenfield said. “It’s a pretty special saddle to me.”
It will forever serve as a reminder of a little girl who touched a lot of hearts and a special weekend for the Ranger as the team celebrated its inaugural rodeo at the Salt Fork Events Center.
“I’m honestly thrilled that it was not only one of our own who got to take home the all-around saddle but even more that it was Savannah,” coach Cali Griffin said. “She was such a dominant goat-tier for us that after she had surgery on her knee, I think she struggled more than she let anyone know. She’s tough as nails and a fighter, and I knew it was just a matter of time before someone as determined as her was back on top.
“There is no quit in that kid. She deserves this, and it means even more that Kelsie and Ryan were the saddle sponsors in honor of Oaklynn, and it got to stay right here at home.”
Greenfield earned the honor by advancing to Saturday night’s championship round in two events, barrel racing and breakaway roping. Though she did not place in either round of barrel racing, Greenfield won the opener with a 2.2-second run, then finished second in the short round to finish as the runner-up overall.
“I’ve honestly been on the struggle bus a little bit,” she said. “I’ve made just one short round at these fall rodeos, and it was the first one at Colby in barrels. I’ve hit quite a few barrels that cost me making it back to the short rounds. I’ve broke barriers in the breakaway roping, so I knew coming into this weekend that I had to make a change and do something, and I did just that.”
The focus was on the details of what it takes to make quality runs. She needed to pay attention to the fundamentals and analyze her approach.
“I was just struggling with my roping and couldn’t get it figured out the timing with my horse,” Greenfield said. “After the (Oklahoma State University) rodeo, I spent every day in the practice pen figuring out my horse from the (timed-event) box to literally breaking down every step to what I need to do better.
“Barrels was pretty simple: I just need to ride my horse. He’s going to do everything else for me. I just did a little critiquing of things.”
The work doesn’t stop. Though the Rangers have more than three months before the first rodeo of the spring semester, Greenfield will continue to work on her game and her camaraderie with her equine partners. That includes making the 24-hour trip to her Oregon home just before the Thanksgiving break; the horses will stay in the Northwest while she handles finals and returns for the semester hiatus.
There are six events remaining on the Central Plains Region schedule, and everyone at Northwestern wants to be among the top three individuals and top two teams in the final standings to advance to the College National Finals Rodeo in June.
Greenfield was joined in the final round by fellow barrel racer Minda Woodward of Dupree, S.D., who finished second in the short round and third overall. Three other Rangers were also in the final field, including Payton Dingman of Pryor, Okla., who won the first round and placed fourth in the average of goat tying and also advanced in breakaway roping. Two other Northwestern cowgirls placed, with Waci Thomson of Lundbreck, Alberta, finishing fifth in both rounds and the aggregate and Laynee Ohm of Hyannis, Neb., finishing third in the long round and tied for sixth overall.
Steer wrestler Nathan Duvall of Henryetta, Okla., guided the Rangers men by winning both rounds and the average title. Sam Daly of Tryon, Neb., placed in both rounds to finish fifth in the aggregate. Tie-down ropers Hazen Sparks of Talihina, Okla., and Carter Anderson of Merriman, Neb., each scored points; Sparks’ 9.9-second run earned him the opening-round victory.
Heelers Payton Blank of Murdock, Kan., and Colter Snook of Ford Kan., also reeled in some points. Blank placed fifth in both rounds and the aggregate while roping with Cutter Weil of Pittsburg State University, and Snook placed second in the first go-round while roping with Kyler Goad of Oklahoma Panhandle State University.
Both the Rangers men and women finished third in their respective teams’ races in the first intercollegiate rodeo at Salt Fork.
“We know how special it is to be able to host our home rodeo in a facility like that,” Griffin said. “It’s amazing, and I think Salt Fork is one of the best, if not the best arena, to host at in the region. That’s why it was so important to us to not only put on a good rodeo but to give all-around saddles, continue the NFR matches and double the money in them to $500. We also added steer roping this year.
“There are a few things I think we all learned from our first year there, and some changes will be made before next year. Overall, though, I was happy with what we did as a team to pull off a rodeo like that.”
Rodeo is a unique team sport, in that individual success is what helps lead to the Rangers’ success. Greenfield and Dingman made the championship in two of their events – Greenfield also competes in team roping – and Duvall added another victory to guide the men. The break between this final event of the fall and the first event of the spring is an opportunity to build the foundation for the final few events of the season.
“I think we have everything it takes to finish the year in the top two and make it to Casper,” Greenfield said of the Wyoming city that hosts the college finals. “There are a lot of talented girls on our team, and I think we have what it takes.”