Rodeo Teams Produce Three Event Winners at Arkansas Tech Rodeo
Searcy, Ark., (April 19, 2026)- The Missouri Valley College men's and women's rodeo teams competed throughout the weekend at the Arkansas Tech rodeo in Searcy, Ark. The Viking men's team captured first place, with two event winners in the average, and the women's team produced one event winner.
In bareback riding, Missouri Valley finished with five of the top six in the average. Leading the team was Senior Kooper Heimburg (San Tan Valley, Ariz.) who finished with a 161 in the average to take first place. Heimburg had first place rides in both go-rounds, with scores of 79 and 82, and earned 180 total points. Second in the average was Sophomore Jason Wilson (Bennington, Vt.) with a 154. Wilson placed second in both go-rounds, with rides of 76 and 78, and earned 150 points. Third in the average was Sophomore Collin Roland (Childersburg, Ala.) with a 144. Roland was fifth in the first go-round with a 67, and was third in the second go-round with a 77. He earned 100 points. Fourth in the average was Sophomore Judd Pope (Garnett, Kan.) with a 142. Pope was third in the first go-round with a 72 and finished with 70 points. Senior Brodie Sims (Thomasville, Ala.) finished sixth in the average with a 57, which he earned in the first go-round to finish with 20 points. Also, Senior Hayden Leavell (Ozark, Mo.) earned 20 points after finishing fifth in the second go-round with a ride of 67, and Freshman Kade Parrish (LaValle, Wisc.) was sixth in the second go-round with a 62 to earn 10 points.
In saddle bronc riding, Pope was first in the average with a 135. Pope finished second in the first go-round with a 62, then won the second go-round with a 73. He earned 170 points. Junior Walker McAbee (Woodruff, S.C.) was second in the average with a 128. McAbee won the first go-round with a 69, and was third in the second go-round with a 59. He earned 145 points. Third in the average was Freshman Creek Caldwell (Bainbridge, Ind.) with a 123. Caldwell was fourth in the first go-round with a 58 and finished second in the second go-round with a 65 to earn 120 points. Sophomore Treg Huver (Nashville, Mich.) was fifth in the average with a 119. He finished third in both go-rounds with rides of 60 and 59 to earn 105 points. Fifth in the average was Sophomore Ethan Archer (Onalaska, Wisc.) with his ride of 53 in the first go-round to earn 40 points.
Also for the men's team, Junior Carson Ball (Bruner, Mo.) finished sixth in the calf roping average with a 10.9. He was third in the first go-round with the 10.9, and earned 30 points. Ball then added a sixth place finish in the steer wrestling average with a 10.7. He placed third in the first go-round with a 5.1, and sixth in the second go-round with a 5.6 to earn 60 points.
The women's team was led by Freshman Victoria Whitehead (Jones, Okla.) who won the goat tying average with a 17.0. Whitehead finished second in each go-round with 8.5 in both rides, and earned 155 points. Freshman Hailey Donald (Oden, Ark.) was second in the average with a 17.1. Donald won the first go-round with an 8.2 and was fifth in the second go-round with an 8.9 to earn 125 points. Freshman Aubree Freeman (Cadiz, Ky.) was fourth in the average with a 17.5. Freeman finished third in the second go-round with an 8.6 and earned 60 points. Freshman Josie Waldenberger (Holmen, Wisc.) placed sixth in the average with a 17.8. Waldenberger was fourth in the first go-round with an 8.7 and sixth in the second go-round with a 9.1 to earn 45 points.
In team roping, the pair of Freshman Annabell Kindred (Downs, Ill.) and Freshman Jaxson DeVoe (Siloam Springs, Ark.) finished second in the average with a 17.5. The team posted a 7.9 to take second in the second go-round and earned 100 points.
The Viking men's rodeo team placed first overall with a final score of 895. Murray (Ky.) State was second with 485 points. The women's rodeo team finished third with 200 points. Murray (Ky.) State won with 395 points, and Tennessee-Martin was second with 290 points.
Up next for the rodeo teams is the final competition weekend of the season in the Ozark Region. The Vikings go to Senatobia, Miss., for the Northwest Mississippi rodeo, Thursday through Saturday.
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Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.