The Missouri Valley College men’s rodeo team rode their way to reserve national champion honors, taking two of the top five individual spots in bareback riding en route to their best finish in 15 years.

The Vikings finished the past week’s College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming with 567.5 team points, second to national champions Tarleton State of Texas. A majority of those team points came in bareback riding, where three Viking cowboys competed in Saturday’s short go-round. Kooper Heimburg picked up an individual reserve championship, missing the national title by a point as he compiled a 324 in his four rides. That included a round-best 81.5 in the third go-round and an 83 in the short go-round to claim his second All-American honors. Bryce Eck was fifth with 315.5 points, including an 82.5 in the short go-round, while Jason Wilson finished with 303 in his four rounds.

Six cowboys and four cowgirls from Missouri Valley competed last week in Wyoming, with Carson Ball contributing to the team score in steer wrestling. His 4.4 was second-best in the second go-round, while his 4.5 was third-best in the third go-round. Collin Roland and Treg Huver also competed for the Vikings, while Kate Brisbane, Kalyani Das, Codie Vaughan and Addi Williams represented the women’s team.

Photo courtesy of Missouri Valley College Rodeo