BMCC's Jared Parke Earns BMCC Rodeo Award

Jared Parke, a third-year Blue Mountain Community College student, was awarded the Riley Freeman Memorial Rodeo Athlete Award.

Since 2009, this award is given in memory of BMCC Instructor and rodeo coach Riley Freeman to a sophomore rodeo athlete who has demonstrated not only excellence in the sport of rodeo, but also in the classroom. The winner is selected by BMCC rodeo coaches Larry Patterson and Shawn Eng.

Parke, from Gooding, Idaho, has an accumulated GPA of 3.29, and ended the 2014-2015 rodeo season ranked No. 1 in the men’s all-around, tie-down roping and steer wrestling for the Northwest Region, and ranked No. 3 in the nation in the men’s all-around, No. 2 in the nation in tie-down roping, and No. 4 in the nation in steer wrestling. He’ll travel with 10 of his men’s and women’s rodeo teammates to Casper, Wyo., June 14-21, for College National Finals Rodeo.

Both the men’s and women’s teams ended the season at the top of the Northwest Region rankings. The men’s team currently sits at No. 2 in the national rankings, while the women are ranked 3rd in the nation going into the finals.

The other athletes who will join Jared Clarke in Casper, Wyo., for College National Finals Rodeo include: Callahan Crossley (barrel racing), Makenzie Fuller (breakaway roping), Jessica Lewis (barrel racing), Danyelle Williams (barrel racing and goat tying), Chase Hansen (team roping), Clayton Hansen (team roping and steer wrestling), Tyler Potter (bareback riding), Austin Thompson (team roping), Jordan Tye (team roping and tie-down roping), and Ryan Verling (saddle bronc riding).

The BMCC rodeo teams also received a boost May 26, when the Northwest Intercollegiate Rodeo Finals Association Board of Directors presented the team with a check for $20,000. This donation will help to fund scholarships to rodeo athletes.