(Riverton, WY) – Central Wyoming College has been busy with a variety of different sports this week including hosting a rodeo. Here’s our latest CWC update…
Central Wyoming College Volleyball
The Central Wyoming College Rustlers participated in the Wyo-Braska Volleyball Tournament September 19 & 20, facing several challenging opponents including Hutchinson Community, Indian Hills, Colorado Northwestern, and Iowa Western. The tournament concluded with mixed results for the Rustlers, showcasing a rigorous competition that tested the team’s resilience and strategic play.
During the tournament, the Rustlers won against Indian Hills and Colorado Northwestern, showing strong performances with final scores of 17-25, 25-18, 25-14, 21-25, 15-8 against Indian Hills and a sweep of 25-14, 25-15, 25-17 against Colorado Northwestern. These matches highlighted the Rustlers’ ability to dominate when maintaining consistent pressure and coordination among players.
Contrastingly, the Rustlers faced tougher challenges against Hutchinson Community and Iowa Western, eventually losing with scores of 25-18, 25-18, 17-25, 13-25, 11-15 against Hutchinson and 17-25, 25-23, 17-25, 25-19, 6-15 against Iowa Western. Throughout these games, the shifts in momentum were palpable, with the Rustlers showing resilience but struggling to clinch the final sets.
Notable players in this tournament included Presley Ryan, who achieved 17 kills, Laina Whitney with 12 kills, and Rachel Workman contributing 11 kills. Lindsey Stewart was instrumental on the defensive end, amassing 8 blocks across the matches. Additionally, the defensive effort was bolstered by Hallie Reeder-Johnson with a high of 20 digs, while Quincey Mathews, Cameron Denison, and Presley Ryan also made significant contributions in this area.
Looking forward, the Rustlers are slated to play their next games in Gillette on Friday Sept. 26 and in Casper on Saturday, Sept. 27.
Rodeo
The Rustler Rodeo Team hosted the Rustler Roundup Rodeo, the second of ten Regional Rodeos, this past weekend, putting on a strong showing in front of their home crowd.
“We were able to capitalize on some good draws this weekend, which assisted Eian Smith winning the Bareback Riding and Chaz Dewey splitting second in the short round,” said Coach Schrock.
The team showcased several standout performances:
- Eian Smith took first place in Bareback Riding.
- Chaz Dewey split second in the short round.
- Freshman Cael Espenscheid placed third in the long round of the Team Roping. According to Coach Schrock, he would have placed no less than second in the average had his partner’s horn been in the right place.
- Cole Kreikemeier had two solid Steer Wrestling runs.
- Jonah Bustad made two short rounds in a row in the Tie Down Roping, showing great promise for the future.
Coach Schrock praised the team’s resilience, stating, “This team is young but keeps showing resilience; we will build off this third-place finish, fix some things, and head to Sheridan this coming weekend.”Women’s Soccer
The Central Wyoming College Women’s Soccer Rustlers had mixed outcomes at their regional soccer games hosted in Riverton. Facing off against Casper College on Friday and Gillette College on Saturday, the Rustlers experienced both a narrow defeat and a commanding victory under sunny skies.
On September 19, 2023, the Rustlers struggled to find the back of the net in the first half, leading to a 0-0 halftime score against Casper College. Despite a valiant effort and a goal from Katelynn Kartchner, the Rustlers ultimately fell 2-1 to the Casper College Thunderbirds. Madilyn Shilling was the goalkeeper for Central Wyoming, while Casper’s net was defended by Thale Ruther.
The following day, the Rustlers turned the tide against Gillette College. With a strong start, the Rustlers held a 3-0 halftime lead. Goals from Reese Titland, Katelynn Kartchner, and Bailey Brown secured a 3-1 victory. Titland’s opening goal notably began the Rustlers’ tally, helping them maintain control throughout the match. Natasha Stenton and Sienna Bodily contributed with crucial assists, ensuring their team’s dominant performance on the field.
Reflecting on the events, Coach Ben Nelson praised his team’s efforts. “I’m proud of how we played against Casper and even more pleased with our dominant performance against Gillette,” remarked Nelson.
Katelynn Kartchner also received special recognition for continuing her goal-scoring streak in every regional game, showcasing her pivotal role in the team.
Looking ahead, the Rustlers’ next challenge is against Northwest on September 27, 2025, once again in Riverton. With a current overall record of 5-5 and 3-2 in regional play, the Rustlers hope to leverage their recent victory to gain momentum in their upcoming match.
Men’s Soccer
The Central Wyoming College Rustlers faced off against regional opponents in a series of challenging soccer games in Riverton, WY on September 19 & 20. The Men’s team encountered both victory and defeat in their recent outings, demonstrating the highs and lows typical in competitive soccer.
The Rustlers struggled in their game against Casper College. They ended the first half down by two goals, a margin that doubled by the game’s conclusion, leading to a 0-4 loss. Despite strong efforts, the team could not reverse the momentum, which was dominated by Casper College’s offensive strength.
In their match the next day against Gillette College, the Rustlers performed impressively, securing a 5-2 victory. Maddox Nadge, Connor Webster-Togher, Leonidas Papanikolaou, Drake Terra, and Quentin Riballet were pivotal in the team’s success, each contributing goals to the scoreboard. Papanikolaou’s standout moment came with an unassisted penalty kick at the 40th minute, emphasizing his skill under pressure. The halftime score stood at 3-0, and the Rustlers kept their distance until the final whistle, driven by Riballet’s game-winning goal in the 89th minute, assisted excellently by Drake Terra.
Playmaker contributions from Connor Webster-Togher, Louis Loizou, and Drake Terra, who delivered key assists throughout these games, were notable. Meanwhile, Stanley Schumann, guarding the net as goalkeeper, faced a barrage of challenges, particularly evident in the tough game against Casper College.Cross Country
The Rustler men’s and women’s cross country team ran at the Beehive Invite at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake on Friday, September 12. Schools in attendance were Utah Valley University, Weber State, Westminster College, Snow College, and University of Utah. The men’s race was a 7K distance, and the women’s was a 5K. This was the first time the CWC men’s team had competed in a race of that distance so far this season.
This past Saturday, September 20, the Rustler cross country teams traveled to Denver for their next competition at the Roadrunner Invite hosted by Metropolitan State University of Denver. Both CWC teams ran in their farthest races so far this season, the women in their first 6k race, and the men with their first 8k. The runners the Rustlers competed against in this race were from a mix of Colorado State University, MSU-Denver, Colorado Christian University and Colorado Mesa University.