Brylee Zook, a junior at Northwestern Oklahoma State University, won the breakaway roping title this past weekend at Colby, Kansas. Northwestern finished second in the women’s team race, and the Rangers men were third.
(PHOTO BY DALE HIRSCHMAN)
ALVA, Okla. – Cali Griffin was giddy.
The Northwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo team had performed well at the first event of the 2026-27 season, and there was plenty of excitement all around. The women finished second and the men third in Colby, Kansas.
“I’m just pumped up right now,” said Griffin, now in her third year coaching the Rangers. “We’re trying to build something here, so that makes it really exciting for us.”
Ten ladies made Sunday’s championship performance, the largest short-round contingent from the Northwestern women’s team in several years. Half that was featured in breakaway roping, which Ranger Brylee Zook won.
“That was breakaway domination,” Griffin said. “I love my job, but I love my job especially when we have a bunch of girls in the short round. This was a blast. This is what we’ve been trying to do.”
Zook understands that. She stopped the clock in 2.6 seconds to finish in a tie for ninth place in the opening round. That put her among the 12 to compete in the championship, where she posted a 1.9-second run, the fastest of the weekend, to not only win the finale but also the overall title with a two-run cumulative time of 4.5 seconds.
“Fresh calves are not my thing,” she said, referring to cattle that had not been used at any rodeos. “I can make them work, but they’re not my favorite. In the long round, I took my first best shot, and it got me back to the short round. From where I was, I knew I could win the whole thing or I could just go for the short-round win. I nodded my head and just reacted, and it worked out.”
It was a big deal for Zook, a junior from Garnett, Kansas. Not only did she pick up her first intercollegiate title, but she moved into the early lead in the Central Plains Region standings. This is just the first of 10 events, so she hopes to maintain consistency through the rest of the campaign. The goal, though, is also to win the region as a team.
“There are a lot of really good girls, all talented, and they’re going to kick ass just about anywhere they go in college rodeo,” Zook said. “I’d love to win the region, but I think we can come really close. If we keep doing what we did in Colby, it could be a very good year.”
Zook led the charge, but she was joined by four other ropers in Sunday’s field. Bleu Hall of Okmulgee, Oklahoma, placed in both rounds and finished in a tie for second; Ally Brennaman of Deerfield, Kansas, also placed in both rounds and finished in a tie for fifth; Carsyn Haddock of Collinsville, Oklahoma, won the first round with a 2.2-second run; and Brana Thomson of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, made the short round, where she placed and finished in a tie for fifth in the average.
Goat-tier Laynee Ohm of Hyannis, Nebraska, finished second in both rounds and the aggregate, while Payton Dingman utilized a solid final-round run to place on the final day and the average. Three barrel racers made the short round: Sadie Rempell of Nelson, Nebraska; Minda Woodward of Dupree, South Dakota; and Savannah Greenfield of Lakeview, Oregon. Rempel led the way by placing third in the final round and fifth overall, while Woodward was fifth in the opener.
The men’s team was led by tie-down roper Carter Anderson of Merriman, Nebraska, who won the first round, then finished second in the finale and in the aggregate. Steer wrestler Nathan Duvall of Henryetta, Oklahoma, made the most of his short-round run to finish second overall, while fellow bulldogger Sam Daly of Tryon, Nebraska, placed in the short round and finished third in the average. Creyo Koop of Howard, Kansas, was 5.7 to finish third in the opening round and just missed out on placing in the average. Colorado team roping header Traegyn Duarte snagged first-round points while roping with heeler Bryce Teut of Southwestern Oklahoma State University.
“I love what I’m seeing with this team,” Griffin said. “We’ve got some great kids on the team. We enjoy going to practice. They build off each other. They push each other. This group wants each other to win more than they want to win themselves, and that’s how you win as a team.”