Utah Schools Are Riding High In College Rodeo
By Terry Tebbs | Utah Sports Ink
When most Utahns think college sports, their minds go straight to football Saturdays and March basketball. But right now, on the college rodeo circuit, Utah schools are quietly making noise on a national stage — and the competition they're facing is anything but small-time.
Blake Bowler SUU Rodeo
The College National Finals Rodeo is held each June in Casper, Wyoming.
SUU, UVU, Snow college and USU Eastern all making a mark this year.
College rodeo operates through the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, founded in 1949 and now representing more than 3,500 student-athletes across 135 member schools. Here's what separates it from every other college sport you follow: there are no divisions. No Power Five bracket. No Division I advantage. A community college from rural Nebraska lines up against a flagship state university, and they compete for the same points, the same rankings, and the same berths to the College National Finals Rodeo held each June in Casper, Wyoming. Everyone rides in the same arena.
That context makes what Utah's schools are doing this season all the more impressive.
Southern Utah University Is the Real Deal
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Leading the pack — nationally — is Southern Utah University in Cedar City. As of the most recent NIRA national standings, SUU sits 6th in the country in the men's team competition, ahead of programs from schools that dwarf them in size and athletic budgets. The Thunderbirds compete in the NIRA's Rocky Mountain Region alongside Utah Valley University, Snow College, Utah State, Utah State Eastern, and Weber State — and they are dominating that conversation.
The names driving SUU's run are Blake Bowler and Truman Bowler, who have turned team roping into something of a family business. Blake ranks 1st nationally in team roping header and 5th in the men's all-around; Truman ranks 1st nationally in team roping heeler and 6th in the all-around. Having two competitors from the same school hold the top national spots in a single roping discipline is the kind of performance that gets noticed at the College National Finals. Brian Evans adds to the haul, sitting 2nd nationally in saddle bronc riding.
For context on what that means: the schools SUU is outranking in the men's standings include New Mexico State, Montana State, the University of Wyoming, and Sam Houston State. Wyoming's rodeo program is one of the most storied in the country. NMSU has been a college rodeo powerhouse for decades. SUU is beating them.
Snow College Punches Well Above Its Weight
If the level playing field angle needed any more evidence, look at Snow College. The Ephraim-based school ranks 14th in the nation in men's team competition, and is doing it with competitors who rank among the best in the country individually. Swade Olsen sits 2nd nationally in team roping header, with teammate Preston Olsen matching him at 2nd nationally in team roping heeler. Snow College is a two-year school. In the NIRA, nobody asks how many years your school runs.
UVU and USU Eastern Making Their Mark
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Utah Valley University is competing nationally in both the men's and women's standings. The Wolverines rank 10th nationally in women's team competition, powered by standout individual performances. Cooper Duffin sits 2nd nationally in tie-down roping. Ashley Barratt ranks 3rd nationally in goat tying. Sadie Mendenhall sits 11th nationally in barrel racing. UVU is also building toward a new rodeo facility in Payson, a sign of institutional commitment to the program's future.
Utah State University Eastern out of Price is producing individual talent worth following. Byron Christiansen ranks 3rd nationally in saddle bronc riding, and Saydee Davis has become one of the more versatile competitors in the region, ranking 10th nationally in the women's all-around and 8th in breakaway roping.
Weber State fields a team in the Rocky Mountain Region as well, adding another Wasatch Front presence to a circuit that is becoming increasingly Utah-heavy.
A Note on Utah State
Utah State University in Logan does compete in the NIRA Rocky Mountain Region and appears in the standings, but with an important distinction — the USU Rodeo program is classified as a club sport under the university's Campus Recreation department, not a varsity athletic program. They have a head coach and compete for real, but they do so without the full institutional backing of an officially sanctioned varsity team. It's a testament to how committed those student-athletes are that they're out there competing anyway.
The Names Not on This List
Two schools conspicuously absent from the NIRA roster are BYU and the University of Utah. Neither school fields a sanctioned college rodeo team, varsity or otherwise. That may surprise some, given Utah's deep western heritage and the fact that both universities recruit heavily from communities where rodeo is woven into the culture. Rodeo operates entirely outside the NCAA umbrella, and the priorities of large athletic departments don't always extend to sports that fall beyond that structure.
For the schools that do compete, the reward is a chance to go head-to-head with some of the most recognizable athletic brands in the country. Texas A&M currently has a women's team ranked 9th nationally. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo sits 5th on the women's side. Utah's teams are right there with them.
The College National Finals Rodeo will tell the full story this June in Casper. Based on where things stand right now, expect Utah to have more than a few horses in that race.
This article was produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence. All standings, statistics, and factual information were verified against the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association's official records as of March 23, 2026.
Sources: National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association — National Standings (collegerodeo.com/standings/national-standings), as of March 23, 2026 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association — Rocky Mountain Region Standings (collegerodeo.com/standings/rocky-mountain-region-standings), as of March 23, 2026 Utah Valley University Rodeo Program (uvu.edu/rodeo) Utah State University Campus Recreation — Rodeo Club (usu.edu/campusrec/competitive-sports/club-sports/rodeo) SUU News — "The Great American Stampede Brings Rodeo Spirit to Cedar City," September 2025