Rodeo

Athletic Hall of Fame Tickets Available

Tickets for the Connors State College Athletic Hall of Fame banquet on Oct. 6 are available at the Warner campus by contacting Athletic Director Bill Muse.

Cost of the event is $25 and can be purchased by contacting Muse at (918) 463-6231. The event will be held at the Muskogee Country Club, which gets under way at 5 p.m. with a reception, followed by the dinner at 6 p.m. and the induction of the first CSC class.

Bryndon Manzer, studio basketball analyst for ESPNU and former basketball player at Oklahoma State University, will emcee the banquet.

CSC Announces First Athletics Hall of Fame Class

Connors State College has a long history of athletic achievements and to honor those athletes CSC Athletic Director and Cowboys head basketball coach Bill Muse has announced the first Connors State College Athletic Hall of Fame members.

The first class, which will be inducted on Oct. 6, at the Muskogee Country Club includes former men’s basketball players Lou Henson, Horatio Webster, women’s basketball players Kim Davis-Barton, Rhonda Smith, baseball players Clint Sodowsky, Jeff Turtle, softball players Cassie Tipton, Michel Taylor, women’s 1985 NJCAA National Championship basketball team and V. David Miller of Cross Communication, who is to be awarded the Outstanding Leadership Award.

“We are very excited about establishing our Athletic Hall of Fame with athletes who have excelled both on and off the athletic courts and playing fields at Connors State College,” said Muse. “This is an exciting time for Connors State and we are looking forward to our first induction in October.

 “The Connors State Athletic Hall of Fame is the highest athletic honor that can be bestowed on a Cowboy and Cowgirl that participated in athletics,’’ said Muse.

Bryndon Manzer, studio basketball analyst for ESPNU and former basketball player at Oklahoma State University, will emcee the banquet, which will get under way at 5 p.m. with a reception, followed by dinner at 6 p.m. Tickets for the event can be obtained  from Muse at Connors State by calling (918) 463-6231.

Henson, a native of Okay, Okla. played at Connors State in 1951-53 before continuing his collegiate career at New Mexico State University, before beginning a coaching career that spanned 53 years.

He began his career at Las Cruces, N.M. High School in 1959, winning three state titles before moving to the college ranks in 1962 at Hardin-Simmons University, where he posted a 67-36 mark. After four seasons he took over at his alma mater, New Mexico State, taking the Aggies to the Final Four for the only time in the school’s history in 1970, losing to eventual national champion UCLA in the semifinals.

During his nine seasons at New Mexico State he led the Aggies to six NCAA Tournaments and four 20-win seasons, compiling a 173-71 record.

Henson then moved to the University of Illinois, leading the Illini to the Final Four in 1989, before retiring after 21 seasons in 1996. He compiled an overall record of 423-224 at Illinois.  He guided the Illini to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and three NIT appearances.

However, New Mexico State reached out to their alum following a scandal that removed the head coach just before the season opened. Henson stayed until 2005 posting a 135-86 record, which included three more NCAA Tournament appearances and three trips to the NIT. He retired coaching for a second time because of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Henson’s overall collegiate coaching record is 779-422 to rank No. 6 on the all-time list among coaches.

Webster, a Durant, Miss., native played at Connors State 1995 -96, is the Cowboys all-time leading scorer with 1,674 points. Webster was a NJCAA All-American and Player of the Year in 1996. Webster averaged 23.5 points his sophomore season in leading the Cowboys to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.

Following his CSC career, he played at Mississippi State, where he was a two-time All-Southeastern Conference performer, where he  averaged 16.1 points his junior season and 17.0 points during his senior year.

Kim Davis-Barton played for the Cowgirls from1980-82, where she was a NJCAA All-American in 1982 in leading CSC to the Region II Championship and national tournament appearance. Davis-Barton was a two-time All-Bi-State Conference selection and voted the Region II Most Valuable Player in 1982. She was selected to play in the East-West junior college game in Kansas City, Mo.

Following graduation at CSC, Davis-Barton continued her basketball career at Oral Roberts University leading the Lady Titans to an undefeated regular season record during the 1982-83 seasons under head coach Debbie Yow. Davis-Barton averaged 17.3 points at ORU in leading the Lady Titans to the WNIT, losing in the semifinals.

Davis-Barton, who played only one season at ORU, before moving on to the University of Florida with Yow, led ORU in scoring and was an All-American selection. She was nominated by Yow for the Margaret Wade Trophy as the women’s player of the year.

She played one season at Florida where she was a letterman and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising from the College of Journalism and Communication. She is now the Director of Outreach of Alachua County Supervisor of Elections.

Smith played for the Cowgirls from 1983 and 1985, where she was a two-time NJCAA All-American and named to the Kodak All-America team in 1985. She was also a two-time All-Bi-State Conference and Region II selection and is the only Cowgirl to have her Jersey Number retired—35.

She is the Cowgirls all-time leading scorer with 1,512 points, averaging 20.7 points a game during her career. Smith averaged 24.7 points her sophomore season, No. 1 on the Cowgirls record list, along with single season rebound mark of 450 for a 12.5 average. She also tops the single season records for field goals (382), and field goal attempts (705).

Following graduation from Connors, Smith continued her playing career at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where she averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds on the Lady Bulldogs team that won the 1987 NAIA National Championship with a 30-2 record. She was a first team NAIA All-American, All-District IX selection and Oklahoma Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Year.

Turtle, a member of the Cowboys baseball team in 1984 and 85, was signed by head coach Perry Keith on the tailgate of a pickup at Pryor, Okla., and went on to become the all-time career homerun (41) and runs-batted-in (190) record holder at Connors.

He was a two-time All-Region selection and second team NJCAA All-American in 1985. Following his graduation at Connors he signed with Kansas State, where he hit .337 and .397 with 21 home runs over two years, being named All-Big Eight in 1987. Turtle went on to play in the San Francisco Giants organization.

Sodowsky played for the Cowboys in 1991where he posted an 8-3 record with 63 strike outs and an earned run average of 2.34. He drafted in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Detroit Tigers.

The right-hander pitched for four major league teams, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Arizona and St. Louis, posting a career record of 8-14 with a 6.17 earned run average. He was a member of the inaugural Arizona Diamondbacks team that began play in the MLB in 1998.

Sodowsky retired from professional baseball in 2006 after playing 10 seasons in Triple-A.

Tipton played two seasons for the Cowgirls, 1995-96 and played an instrumental part in leading Connors State to the NJCAA National Tournament, finishing fifth. The outfielder was an NJCAA second team All-American, hitting .467 with 44 stolen bases, which stood for 16 years as the all-time record stolen base record. She was a Bi-State Conference and Region 2 first team selection.

Tipton went on to Oklahoma State, playing two seasons.

Taylor, who played for the Cowgirls in 1996 and 96, was the top pitcher for the ‘96 club which went on to the NJCAA National Tournament, posting a 36-6 record. The right-hander ranks No. 2 on the Cowgirls all-time single season records. She posted a 1.33 earned run average in ’96 en route to be named second team NJCAA All-American, while be a first team Bi-State and Region 2 first team selection.

Taylor then went on to Southwestern State University, playing just one season. She was the primary pitcher on the Lady Bulldogs first ever intercollegiate softball team. She led the team in starts with 30, posting nine wins with 101 strike outs.

The 1985 Cowgirls basketball team under the guidance of head coach Monte Madewell and assistant Bill Martin, won Connors State first-ever national championship at Senatobia, Miss., as a No. 8 seed at the national tournament, capturing a 73-71 victory over top-ranked Odessa Junior College in the championship game, to end the season with a 32-4 record.

Team members of the championship squad are Lisa McMillin, Traci Krumsiek, Carolyn Greuel, Michelle Gordon, Stacy Cunningham, Gail Cooks, Vicki Price, Jan Gilmore, Alicia Burke, Rhonda Smith, Tonya Godsby, Mannon Mahan, Wendy Sanders, DeDe McLemore, and LaDonna James.

Miller, CEO of Cross Telephone Company, has over 40 years of telecommunications experience and is a second generation in the business. He has been employed with Cross since 1963, working in all areas of the company, including repair, sales and management.

He has been very active in Muskogee as well as the communities that Cross Telephone Company serves. Miller serves on several boards such as the Foundation of Connors State College since its inception as a member of the board and also as chairman for several years.

Miller has also served as President of the Oklahoma Telephone Association, board member of the FiveStar Financial Corporation, Oklahoma State Insurance Board, Five Civilized Tribe Museum Foundation, chairman and board member of the Muskogee County Excise Board, and the Muskogee Country Club.

He has also worked closely with the Shriners in helping crippled and burned children, local ball teams and school related functions.

Former TU American, NFL Star Speaks to Connors State Student-Athletes

Jerry Ostroski

Jerry Ostroski, former University of Tulsa All-American and an 8-year pro with the National Football League’s Buffalo Bills addressed 125 athletes Wednesday night at the Connors State College Westbrook Library Auditorium telling the athletes to “take advantage of your opportunity”

Ostroski, who started 108 games for the Bills as an offensive lineman, after being cut three times by Kansas City and Atlanta stressed to the student-athletes to “make the most of the opportunity.

“But the real opportunity is to ask yourself is.. what are you really doing with this opportunity. Are you wasting it or using it to the best of your ability?

Ostroski, who sustained several knee injuries during his NFL career stressed to the student-athletes that “it’s a grind, but you have to embrace the grind to become the best that you can be. You have to put in the time. It’s not easy

“Its what do at home and in the classroom that you bring to athletics that makes you a better athlete, by putting in the time. You don’t need to be out on the weekend, drinking, smoking or driving around with friends when you can be working on your game.

“You don’t need to be blowing five days a week of hard work on two days of weekend trouble and getting right back where you started,” said Ostroski.

Ostroski told the student-athletes he wanted to attend Penn State, but the opportunity wasn’t there. He was recruited by TU’s George Henshaw, who left before he enrolled his freshman season and played four years under Dave Rader, where he played in two bowl games.

“It was my dream to play by Penn State, but wasn’t given the opportunity, and I embraced the TU opportunity. That’s what I telling these student athletes take advantage of the opportunity they have and make the most of it. I thought many times of returning home to Pennsylvania but I wanted to make my parents proud and that’s what you should want.

“There is no magic formula for success. You just have to grind it out. Only one percent of college athletes become pro athletes. But this time (college) is the best time of our life. Embrace the grind and take advantage of the opportunity,” said Ostroski.

Decade of Athletic Excellence

Connors State College under the guidance of Athletic Director Bill Muse the Cowboys and Cowgirls athletic teams have an unprecedented record over the past decade.

Connors State has won 10 conference championships, 6 Region II Championships, appeared in 3 National Junior College Athletic National Basketball Tournaments, 2 NJCAA College World Series and 1 Final Four.

No other Oklahoma state junior college athletic department has recorded as many feats as the Cowboys and Cowgirls in the past 10-year period.

CSC Golf Scramble July 13

Connors State Athletic Department will hold a scramble golf tournament July 13 at Cobblestone Creek Golf Course in Muskogee, announced CSC Athletic Director Bill Muse.

 The teams will consist of four players per team and the cost is $100 per player.

 All proceeds from the tournament will go to student-athletic scholarships at Connors State.

 For more information contact Bill Muse at 918-463-6231.

Quesenberry Qualifies for National Collegiate Finals Rodeo

Connors State bull rider Winston Quesenberry placed second in the long round and first in the short round and average at the Oklahoma Panhandle State University rodeo last weekend in Guymon, Okla.

Quesenberry performance at the Guymon rodeo places him third for the year in the Central Plains Region of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association.

The third place finish earns Quensenberry a trip to the Collegiate National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wy., June 10-16.

In the breakaway roping, C Jae Lenhart finished third in the long round, second in the short round, and second in the average just missed making the finals by 20 points and will finish fourth overall in the Central Plains Region.

The top three in each event from each region earn the right to compete at the CNFR, in addition to the all-around and team winners.

“It is always exciting at the last rodeo with several spots in most events still undecided,” said Connors State rodeo coach Jake Lawson. “We are extremely proud of both of these students.  They showed real heart in making a final push for a spot in the CNFR,” said Lawson.

Quesenberry Takes Bull Riding Title at Ft. Hays Event

Connors State bull rider Winston Quesenberry won first in the long round and first in the average in the bull riding event at the Fort Hayes (Kan) University rodeo event that was held April 20-22.

In the breakaway roping event  Callin Jae Lenhart placed fourth in the long go, second in the short go, and third overall.

   William Whayne made the short go in the tie down roping event.

 Connors will compete in its final rodeo event of the season at Oklahoma Panhandle State University in Guymon, on April 26-28. Quesenberry, with a good performance at the Panhandle event in the bull riding event has an opportunity to qualify for the Collegiate National Finals at Casper, Wy. In June.

CSC's Quesenberry First in Bull Riding

WEATHERFORD –  Connors State’s Winston Quesenberry placed first in the average bull riding, first in the short round and fourth in the long go at theSouthwestern State University rodeo event on April 14 in Weatherford.

CSC will next compete at the Fort Hays State University rodeo on April 20-22.

Depew Sixth in Barrel Racing at Ft. Scott Rodeo Event

Connors State rodeo team competed at the Fort Scott , Kan., Community College rodeo last weekend and sophomore Randa Depew from Muldrow placed sixth in the long go and fourth in the average of the barrel racing event.

Callin Jae Lenhart, a freshman from Bedford, Iowa, also reached the short round in the barrel racing, while several other team members just missed participating in the short round, according to head coach Jake Lawson.

Connors will next compete in the Southwestern Oklahoma State rodeo event on April 12-14 in Weatherford.

Jackson Sixth at Garden City Rodeo

GARDEN CITY, KAN. ---Connors State Rodeo team participated in the Garden City Community College  rodeo last weekend and three members of the team advanced to the short round.

Clint Jackson, freshman from Warner, split sixth in the long go and placed sixth in the average tie down roping.

Randa Depew, sophomore from Depew, made it back in two events, the breakaway roping and barrel racing, but just missed in the short round.

Winston Quesenberry placed fourth in the long go of the bull riding event, but was bucked off during his short round.

Connors State will next compete in the Fort Scott Community College Rodeo in Fort Scott, Kan., March 9-11.

Connors State No. 11 in College Rankings

The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association is in full swing and Connors State is No. 11 in the rankings.

Cowgirls are 12th in  tie-down roping, with William Whayne sixth. In steer wrestling, Connors’ Kash Koester holds sixth.

In women’s barrel racing Connors’ Blazi Weippert is 12th and Randa Depew  15th. Connors’ Callin Lenhart is 14th in breakaway roping.

Whayne Places Third at KSU Rodeo Event

Connors State rodeo team competed at Kansas State University rodeo in Manhattan, Kan., on Feb. 18-19 and three members of the team reached the short round, according to CSC rodeo Coach Jake Lawson.

Tulsa freshman William Whayne placed third overall in the tie-down roping event after winning the long go and placing third in the short go.

 EJ Thomas, sophomore from Keota placed sixth in the team roping after finishing sixth in both the long and short rounds.

Blazi Weippert, a Roland freshman, placed third in the long go of the barrel racing, while sophomore Ellie Anderson, from Rockwell, Iowa, who competed in breakaway roping, and Devyn Shaw, a sophomore from Winona, Mo., who competed in barrel racing, just missed in the short round of their events.

The rodeo team will next compete in the Garden City Community College rodeo on March 2-4, in Garden City, Kan.,  followed by an event at Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College on March 9-11.

CSC to Establish Athletic Hall of Fame

Connors State College will induct its first Athletic Hall of Fame class in October, announced Connors State Athletic Director and head basketball coach Bill Muse.

“We are very excited about establishing our Athletic Hall of Fame with athletes who excelled in athletics both on and off the playing fields at Connors State College,” said Muse. “This is an exciting time for Connors State and we are looking forward to our first induction in October.

“The Connors State Hall of Fame is the highest athletic honor that can be bestowed on a Cowboy and Cowgirl that participated in athletics. We are asking all former athletes and individuals, who coached, played, participated and were fans of Connors State sports, to make nominations for the first class,” said Muse.

Nominations can be made to CSC Athletic Director Bill Muse by clicking on the form on the athletic web site under Hall of Fame at Connorsathletics.com and sending it electronically or mailing the form to Bill Muse at Connors State College, Route 1, Box 1000 Warner, Okla. 74469-9700. All nominations must be received by July 15th.

A committee will be established to determine the inductees and the number to be accepted into the Hall of Fame each year.

Nominees must be persons of outstanding quality, high moral character, and fine leadership ability and must be held in high esteem by their colleagues, former coaches and former athletes. Nominations may be made any anyone.

Those inducted into the Connors State Athletic Hall of Fame will be honored at an October banquet.

“This will be an annual event at Connors and one that any former Cowboy or Cowgirl will cherish for a lifetime,” said Muse.

Depew and Koester lead Rodeo Team

The Connors State College rodeo team competed at the Northwestern Oklahoma State University rodeo meet in Alva on Nov.3-5 with five members of the team reaching the final short round.

Randa Depew and Kash Koester led the team with Depew placing fourth overall in the barrel racing and Koester finishing third in the steer wrestling.

William Whayne won the first long go in calf roping and Riley Duvall was third in the long go in the steer wrestling event. Callin Jae Lenhart also did well in the short round of the breakaway roping.

The next event for the rodeo team is Feb. 17-19, 2012 at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kan.

Duval Wins Rodeo Title

Connors State College sophomore Riley Duval of Checotah , a two time-National High School Rodeo Association champion, won the All-American Pro Rodeo finals championship on Oct. 15 in Waco, Texas.
Duval, who was tied with Matt Deskovick for first place, was declared the winner based on have a better time in the semifinals. Duval placed in five rounds of the event and collected $13,245, more than he has earned during the regular rodeo season.
Riley turned his final round steer in 3.9 seconds and edged Deskovick on a tiebreaker to claim the All American
After winning a tiebreaker to get into the final round, Deskovick was the first man out in the finals and set the time to beat at 3.9 seconds. Duvall matched it and won based on his previous round score (also a 3.9).

“Matt had a great time and set the bar pretty high,” Riley said. “I was fortunate to have a steer I was 3.8 (seconds) on in the first round.”

Duvall earned checks in five of six rounds and was 3.9 or faster in four of them.

Rodeo Team Completes Season

Connors State rodeo team completed its final rodeo last week at Guymon, Okla.

.T. Dickson along with former CSC student Lucas Spears, who now attends Bacone, won first in the short round and third overall in the team roping.

The CSC team failed to qualify for the College National Finals Rodeo this year, but finished the year with 14 different students winning points.

Former CSC student Ryan Bothum of Southeastern State and a 2010 National Champion, will return to the CNFR in both steer wrestling and tie-down roping. Bothum also reclaimed his title as Central Plains Region All-Around Champion.

In Addition, Katie Meller a former CSC student now at Bacone will compete at the CNFR in breakaway Roping, and Jarrod Branch now at Southwestern State will compete in tie-down roping.

Rodeo Team Place in Events

The Connors State Rodeo Team competed at Fort Scott, Kan., with Riley Duvall placing in steer wrestling, with Colton Priest, Tanner McElhaney, and Ryan Tittle in team roping.

Ellie Anderson placed in Breakaway Roping, and Randa Depew placed in Barrel Racing.

At the Garden city, Kan. event, Randa Won the average in the Barrel.

The Rodeo Team will be holding its 2011 Rodeo tryouts, on Thursda,  March 24, at noon.

Rodeo team places fifth at Kansas State

The Connors State Rodeo Team placed fifth at Kansas State University in Manhattan,Kan. Over the weekend.

Ray Duvall placed second in steer wrestling, and Tyler Harris was fourth in steer wrestling. Austin Mason finished sixth in steer wrestling.

Monty Howell and Tanner McElhaney placed fourth in the team roping event.

2011 Rodeo/Equine Alumni/Supporter Gathering

The 2011 Rodeo/Equine Alumni/Supporter Gathering will be held on March 26, 2011.

Please contact the Rodeo or Equine Department for more details.

Rodeo Tryout Day

The 2011 Annual Rodeo Tryout Day will be held this year on March 24, 2011 at the CSC Indoor Arena on the CSC Warner Campus.

Please view the flyer for more details.

Rodeo Team Set To Begin Competition

The Connors State College Rodeo Team will showcase their abilities in Hutchinson, Kansas on Friday, February 18th, 2011. Please see the full calendar for more information on other events.