EMCC - Athletics: Sports, News, Players, and Coaches. Go Lions! - Local East Mississippi CC rodeo standouts qualify for June's national rodeo finals in Wyoming

SCOOBA – Local rodeo standouts Will Lummus and Winston Cheek of East Mississippi Community College have qualified to compete in this year’s College National Finals Rodeo.

Lummus, a former Oak Hill Academy standout, and Cheek, of Kosciusko, will represent the EMCC Lions in the steer wrestling and bull riding events, respectively, at the 2011 CNFR to be held June 11-19 at the Casper Events Center in Casper, Wyo.

An EMCC freshman, Lummus claimed reserve champion steer wrestling honors for the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s (NIRA) Ozark Region for his runner-up finish in this year’s regional standings. The West Point native compiled 790 total points on the year, including 165 points for his first-place steer wrestling finish at last week’s University of Tennessee at Martin-hosted rodeo event, to finish second for the season to Cody Metsker of Missouri Valley College.

While finishing fourth in the men’s all-around of the Ozark Region with 1,150 composite points, Lummus also completed the 2010-11 regular season ranked fifth in the region in tie down roping with 350 total points.

Also a freshman for the Lions, Cheek edged out Missouri Valley’s Will Crain by five points (360-355) to secure a trophy saddle and belt buckle as the Ozark Region’s 2010-11 bull riding champion.

“I’m very proud of both Will and Winston for securing spots to compete in nationals,” EMCC rodeo coach Morgan Goodrich said. “I really believe they both have a very good chance at being extremely competitive in their events against the nation’s top cowboys.”

As a unit, the EMCC men’s rodeo team placed sixth in the final regular-season NIRA Ozark Region standings with a cumulative total of 3,057.50 points – less than 200 points behind four-year schools Troy University (3,072.50 points) and the University of West Alabama (3,247.50). EMCC’s Lady Lions finished ninth in the regional standings as a team.

“I think we performed very well this season for being a first-year rodeo program competing against many four-year schools,” Goodrich added. “The future of the EMCC rodeo program is certainly looking very bright because of the support we receive from our local community and with the excellent rodeo talent we have here in our area.”

Over 400 cowboys and cowgirls from more than 100 universities and colleges throughout the country will compete during this year’s College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) in Casper, Wyo. The top three student-athletes in each of nine events from 11 different regions throughout the country, along with the top two men’s and women’s teams from each region, qualify for the CNFR.