Rodeo Team, Coach Take Top Honors

The Texas A&M University Men’s and Women’s Rodeo Teams, and their coach, Dr. Al Wagner, took top honors for the just-completed season of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Assn. (NIRA) Southern Region.

Wagner, a 1969 Texas A&M graduate, was named “Coach of the Year” and the rodeo hosted by the Aggies at the Brazos County Expo was named “Rodeo of the Year.”

More than 40 Aggie women and men competed in 10 rodeos throughout the school year in both an individual and team capacity.

The Women’s Team was crowned NIRA Southern Reserve Champion, with the following students qualifying to go to the College National Finals Rodeo: Jimmie Smith, a sophomore agricultural communication/journalism major from McDade (breakaway roping); Hailey Kinsel, a junior agricultural economics major from Cotulla (barrel racing); McKenna Brown, a junior nursing major from College Station (barrel racing); and Miranda Mitchell, a sophomore biomedical sciences major from Needville (barrel racing).

Individual honors included reserve championships for Jimmie Smith in breakaway and Hailey Kinsel in barrel racing. Kinsel will be making her second consecutive CNFR appearance.

On the men’s side, Cade Goodman, a junior agricultural economics major from Waelder, will be making his third CNFR appearance in the steer wrestling competition. He was crowned national champion in 2014.

Those five members of the team qualified in the College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) and are set to compete for National Championships in Casper, Wyoming June 12-18.

For more information about Texas Aggie Rodeo follow us on twitter @texasaggierodeo or contact Wagner at (979) 845-7023.