Utah Valley State College had a strong showing at the College National Finals Rodeo, placing second overall in the men's team competition with a score of 630, at last week's event in Casper, Wyo.

Ranger College, from Ranger, Texas, finished first in the men's competition, posting a score of 917.50. UVSC produced the highest showing of any team in its region — the Rocky Mountain Region.

"I think we overachieved," said UVSC rodeo coach Lewis Feild. "It's a fabulous accomplishment for our team."

Lewis admitted to being a little disappointed with the runner-up finish, but also acknowledging at the same time that UVSC will always be at a disadvantage at these competitions.

"We don't have the resources that other colleges do," Lewis said.

Weber State, the next closest Utah school in the men's division, finished tied for 26th with a score of 180. Utah State finished 48th, only producing 30 points. There were 52 men's teams that qualified for finals.

In the women's overall, Salt Lake Community College was the only team to qualify for finals, placing 30th out of a 31-team field with a score of 30.

Despite the strong overall placing for UVSC, there was some controversy for cowboy Bud Munns.

Munns finished first overall in bareback bronc riding, giving him the national championship in that event. However, his first-place finish was stripped from him after a discrepancy in the official score was discovered. For some reason, his electronic score posted on the board, differed from his official paper score, leaving Munns with a second-place finish, by one point, and an unpleasant feeling of deja vu.

At the 2003 National High School Finals Rodeo, Munns was awarded first place in bareback only to have it reversed on a score correction. "It's unfortunate," said Lewis. "I thought he won."

Although Lewis believes "It wasn't malicious."

Other notables include Weber State's Coby Hadly finishing fourth in men's steer wrestling and UVSC's Taylor White placing third overall in men's bull riding. UVSC's Lana Bingham received the Walt Garrison Award, which is a citizenship award given to a competitor who exemplifies extraordinary citizen characteristics.

"We're No. 2 in the country. I'm really proud of our kids," said Lewis. "I mean, I'm really proud of our cowboys and cowgirls."

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E-mail: nstorey@desnews.com