A second-place performance by freshman Will Smith of Lugoff, S.C., in saddle bronc riding earned 130 points for Valley on its way to the Northwest Mississippi Community College Rodeo title, its third straight. (Chris Allen/Democrat-News) [Click to enlarge]

SENATOBIA, Miss. -- If Missouri Valley College cowboys are walking around with shinier buckles hitching their belts even higher, it's only because they're riding high in the saddle.

Equestrian analogies aside, the Vikings' rough stock riders have propelled the team to the No. 2 spot in the NIRA national rankings. Winning will do that -- as Valley proved with its third straight title, last week at the Northwest Mississippi Community College Rodeo at Senatobia.

In bareback riding, Vikings comprised four of the six entries which scored. It was even more extreme in saddle bronc riding, which had three of four. The 530 points generated in those three events greatly helped Valley extend its Ozark Region lead over defending champion Tennessee-Martin to 750 points -- which, with only one rodeo left, is all but mathematically insurmountable.

Individually, it was quite some meet for senior Kirk Nelson of Sanborn, Minn. -- winning saddle bronc, taking second place in team roping with Arkansas-Monticello's Lana Chastain and finishing fourth in steer wrestling to win the all-around title with 360 of the Vikings' 825 points.

Freshman Will Smith was second in saddle bronc and sophomores Matt Cossitt, Kyle Brennecke, Chase Waters and David Clapp took second through fifth in bareback -- two of them counting toward the team total.

Clapp was also fourth in bull riding -- an event won by senior Cooper Link of Louisburg, Kan., who was not on Valley's official line-up -- to accumulate 110 points overall.

Sophomore Katie Kimble came in second in barrel racing to account for 130 of the Lady Vikings' 250 points, good for third place behind Arkansas-Monticello and Troy (Ala.). Senior Jill Adametz was fourth in goat tying and juniors Kallie Agre and Casey Chapman were fifth and seventh, respectively, in breakaway roping.

The task for the Valley men this week is to not only lock up the team championship, which would land the Vikings in the College National Finals Rodeo, but for as many individuals as possible to qualify by finishing in the region's top three in their events.

The latter prospectus is also favorable. Shaw is ranked first in steer wrestling, Link is second in bull riding, Brennecke is a lock for second in bareback -- with three others vying for third -- and Smith, Nelson and sophomore Adam Gilchrist are in the hunt for two spots in saddle bronc.

Among the Valley women, who have a realistic shot at qualifying as a team if they can make up 130 points on second-place Tennessee-Martin and jump over third-place Troy, two are in position to make the cut with good performances: Adametz in goat tying and Chapman in barrel racing.