Yellow Jackets Prepped for Great Plains Regional Finale

SPEARFISH, S.D. – The Black Hills State University men's and women's rodeo season have now reached the tenth and final rodeo of the regular season this weekend, as they travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take part in the Cornhusker College Stampede. While the Great Plains Region title is on the line for the women's team, there are also a total of four Yellow Jacket cowboys and cowgirls who rank within the top-3 of the regional standings and look to secure a trip to Casper in their events. Additionally, there are four more athletes in the Green & Gold who rank either fourth or fifth and will look to make one last push to crack the top-3 this weekend at the Sandhills Global Event Center.

SESSION 1 DETAILS - SLACK
Date & Times: Friday, May 2 at 11 a.m. MT / 12 p.m. CT
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska – Sandhills Global Event Center

SESSION 2 DETAILS - PERFORMANCE
Date & Times: Friday, May 2 at 6 p.m. MT / 7 p.m. CT
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska – Sandhills Global Event Center

SESSION 3 DETAILS - SLACK
Date & Times: Saturday, May 3 at 7:30 a.m. MT / 8:30 a.m. CT
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska – Sandhills Global Event Center

SESSION 4 DETAILS - PERFORMANCE
Date & Times: Saturday, May 3 at 12 p.m. MT / 1 p.m. CT
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska – Sandhills Global Event Center

SESSION 5 DETAILS – SHORT-GO FINALS
Date & Times: Saturday, April 26 at 6 p.m. MT / 7 p.m. CT
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska – Sandhills Global Event Center

BLACK HILLS STATE MEN'S RODEO STORYLINES

The Black Hills State men's rodeo team enters their fourth rodeo of the spring and tenth of the season as the No. 6 team in the NIRA Great Plains Region standings with 906 points.
The Yellow Jackets are coming off their best team finish since September as they tied for fifth with 140 points at the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede. The highest team finish of the year thus far has been a fourth place team finish with 226 points at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #1 in September.
Luke Mavity enters the weekend with the No. 8 ranking in the region in tie down roping with 235 points. This year he has posted a second place finish in the event at the Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo, a fifth place finish at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2, and a sixth place finish at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #1.
Moving back up into the top-3 and clinch a spot to Casper, Jess Harper currently ranks No. 3 in the Great Plains Region as a team roping heeler as he has tallied 434 points this year. He's been a part of one team roping victory as he paired up with Colton Zubach of Dickinson State University at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2. Additionally, he paired up with Zubach for a second place finish at the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede with a Ime of 16.2 seconds on two go arounds and have added a fourth place finish at the Cyclone Stampede, a fifth place finish at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #1 and a tenth place finish at the Mystics Stampede Rodeo.
Glen Lammers is in his 17^th season as the head coach of the Yellow Jacket men's and women's rodeo program.

#13 BLACK HILLS STATE WOMEN'S RODEO STORYLINES

The Black Hills State women's rodeo team enters their fourth rodeo of the spring and tenth of the season as the No. 1 team in the Great Plains Region and No. 13 nationally in the most recent NIRA standings with 2,584.83 points.
The Yellow Jackets look to fend off Dickinson State for the Great Plains Regional title as the Blue Hawks currently sit 694.83 points behind in second place. BHSU is currently seeking their second straight regional crown and their tenth in the last 14 seasons.
After back-to-back fifth place finishes at the Cyclone Stampede and the Jackrabbit Stampede, the Yellow Jackets once again found their way back to the top of the team standings with 270 points to win the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede for their fifth title of the year. In six fall rodeos, BHSU claimed team titles at the Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo, Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #1, Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2, and the Triton Stampede. They also finished second at the Blue Hawk Stampede and the Mystics Stampede Rodeo in the first half of the season.
Cashae McGee ranks No. 2 in the Great Plains Region and is No. 20 nationally in the Women's All-Around standings with 900 points. As she battles for the regional title down the stretch and despite falling a spot to second this spring, she remains just 72.5 points out of the top spot. McGee has earned a pair of all-around titles thus far in the season, occurring at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2 and the Mystics Stampede Rodeo.
Also, in the all-around, Emma Ohm earned her second title in the event of the season at the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede, securing 190 points with 110 points by way of team roping and 80 by breakaway roping. She claimed her one other title in the event at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #1.
The Yellow Jackets have been a force in the barrel racing scene in the Great Plains Region in 2024-25, with five student-athletes ranking within the top-15 of the region. Sierra Steele leads the quartet after jumping four spots following the spring opener up to No. 4 with a second place finish at the Cyclone Stampede, bringing her point total to 360 on the year as she remains just 31 points out of the top-3 currently. She has also recorded finishes of second place at the Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo and third at the Triton Stampede this season.
McGee currently ranks No. 5 in the region in barrel racing, totaling 342 points so far this season and is just 49 points out of the top-3 at the moment. She's placed top-5 at five different rodeos this year by finishing third at the Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo and the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #1, fourth at the Triton Stampede and the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2, and fifth at the Mystics Stampede Rodeo.
With a strong weekend at home, Jayda Reinert moved four spots up to the No. 7 ranking with her second straight top-5 finish, securing second place at the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede with a time of 32.62 seconds on two go arounds to bring her season total to 295 points. This year she has also notched a fourth place finish at the Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo, a fifth place finish at the Jackrabbit Stampede, a sixth place finish at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2, and a ninth place finish at the Mystics Stampede Rodeo.
With her first event win of her career at the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede, posting a two go around time of 28.37 in barrel racing, Adeline Norstegaard moves her way up into the regional standings and is No. 10 with 250 points. With another solid weekend she is now just 141 points out of third place. She has also finished fourth at the Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo and was fifth at the Mid-Plains College Stampede #2.
Raylee Fagerhaug now sits No. 15 in the regional barrel racing standings with a season total of 125 points. She posted a second consecutive third place finish with a time of 28.58 seconds on two go arounds to begin the spring at the Cyclone Stampede, bringing her season total to 125 points. She also rounded out the fall season with a third place finish at the Mystics Stampede Rodeo.
Ohm extended her lead for the No. 1 ranking in the region in breakaway roping and is now No. 3 nationally with 655 points through nine rodeos so far this season. At the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede, she claimed 80 points for her season total as she secured a third place finish with a time of 6.1 seconds on two go arounds. She has also recorded a pair of titles in the event with wins at the Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo and the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #1, while also adding a fourth place finish at the Jackrabbit Stampede, a fifth place finish at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2, a seventh place finish at the Triton Stampede, and a ninth place finish at the Mystics Stampede Rodeo.
The cowgirl with the most momentum throughout the Great Plains Region since the end of last fall is Haley Husted, as she has continued her climb up the standings and is now sitting in a position to clinch a spot to Casper this weekend, ranked No. 3 in the region in goat tying with 635.0 points and is just 18.5 points away from first. Additionally, she is now No. 23 in the national rankings. She secured her second title of the year in the event at the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stamped with a time of 13.6 seconds on two go arounds, she secured 170 points for her fourth consecutive top-3 finish in the event. She had entered the fall finale sitting 12^th in the region with just 85 points, but since that point has climbed nine spots and accumulated 550 points. This season she has also won the event at the Mystics Stampede Rodeo, finished second at the Cyclone Stampede, was third at the Jackrabbit Stampede, fourth at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2, sixth at the Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo, and tenth at the Blue Hawk Stampede.
McGee also remains in the hunt for a top-3 finish in the Great Plains Region in goat tying, No. 4 in the region with 558 points, and is just 77 points out of third place and is 95.5 points out of first place. In the last outing at the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede, she earned her fifth top-5 finish of the year in the event with a fourth place finish as she clocked a time of 15.3 seconds on two go arounds for 70 points. She has earned her points with a win at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2, a second place finish at the Blue Hawk Stampede, a third place finish at the Mystics Stampede Rodeo, a fourth place finish at the Triton Stampede, an eighth place finish at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #1, and a tenth place finish at the Jackrabbit Stampede.
Rounding out the top-5 in the Great Plains Region in goat tying is Raylee Fagerhaug who has tallied 483.3 points through nine rodeos. This past weekend she earned 30 points towards her season total, notching a time of 15.7 seconds on two go arounds for seventh place at the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede. She has also clinched a first place tie at the Triton Stampede, a second place finish at the Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo, tied for second the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2, a third place finish at the Blue Hawk Stampede, a sixth place finish at the Jackrabbit Stampede, and a ninth place finish at the Mystics Stampede Rodeo this year.
With her third top-3 finish in goat tying this season as she posted a two go around time of 15.2 seconds for third place at the Will Lantis Yellow Jacket Stampede, moving her up to No. 9 in the Great Plains Region with 265 points on the year. Her two other place finishes in the event this year was a tie for second place at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2 and third place at the Cyclone Stampede.
Sitting just outside of the top-10 in the regional standings and ranking No. 12 in goat tying is Ohm, who has tallied 141.5 points with a tie for second place at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #1, an eighth place finish at the Falcon Frontier Days Rodeo, and a ninth place finish at the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2.
Rounding out the seven Yellow Jackets that make up nearly half of the Great Plains Regional rankings in goat tying is Linley Schmitz who now ranks No. 15 after nine rodeos this season. She finished tenth in the event at the Cyclone Stampede to begin the spring with only a time of 6.6 seconds on the long go, earning 60 points towards her season total of 115 points. She has also added a fifth place finish in the Mid-Plains College Stampede Rodeo #2 this past fall.
Glen Lammers is in his 17^th season as the head coach of the Yellow Jacket men's and women's rodeo program.