Hill College to send four student-athletes to 2026 College National Finals Rodeo

Four student-athletes on the Hill College Rodeo Team have punched their tickets to the College National Finals Rodeo following the final standings of the 2025-2026 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association’s Southern Region.

Only the top three individuals in each event advance to the CNFR which will take place June 14-20 at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper, Wyoming.

The NIRA Southern Region consisted of 10 rodeos which began in September 2025 and ended April 18 in Wharton and consists of Hill College, Panola College, Southwest Texas College, Northeast Texas Community College, McNeese State University, Sam Houston State University, East Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University, Trinity Valley Community College, and Wharton County Junior College.

Overall, the Hill College men’s team finished sixth in the region behind McNeese State University, Sam Houston State University, Southwest Texas College, Wharton County Junior College, and Panola College.

The Hill College women’s team finished eighth, but just fewer than 22 points behind sixth-place Trinity Valley Community College.

“I’m very proud of our student-athletes,” Hill College Head Rodeo Coach Chad Rutherford said. “They peaked late in the season – which is exactly where you want to see that happen – and finished strong in the standings.”

Among the Hill College CNFR qualifiers includes two familiar cowboys who both won National Championships in 2024.

James Arviso (Arizona), who was also crowned the 2025 Resistol Rookie Header of the Year, is returning to the Finals after placing second overall in the Team Roping Header event.

Also, tie-down roper Koby Douch (Huntsville) is returning to the Finals after finishing the 2025-26 season in third place with 546 points – just 12 points shy of the first-place leader Coleman Canton of SWTXC. Douch also finished strong with a first-place finish at the final rodeo of the season in Wharton as well as a second-place finish at the Hill College Rodeo April 10-11.

Sam Shofner (Jasper), who also participated in the 2024 CNFR as a Team Roping Heeler, will represent Hill College in the steer wrestling event after finishing third overall in the regional standings.

Lastly, in the men’s division, Hill College cowboy Pace Plemons narrowly missed out on a CNFR all-around appearance by placing third overall in the Southern Region (only the top two student-athletes advance to the finals in the all-around competition).

Breakaway roper Sage Webster (Utah) will represent Hill College in the CNFR women’s division after placing third in the Southern Region with 271 points. Her last two competitions ended in first-place ties with a 2.0 time at Wharton as well as an impressive 1.7 time in Hillsboro.

Rutherford not only praised his entire team for their hard work and determination this season, but he’s also proud of the teaching provided by his new assistant coach, Dylan Riggins, who has shared his experience and expertise throughout this journey.

"Dylan is a wonderful and valuable addition to the Hill College Rodeo teams,” Rutherford added, “and we are lucky to have him.”

The complete 2025-2026 NIRA Southern Region Standings may be found at the following web link: https://collegerodeo.com/standings/southern-region-standings/.

For more information on the Hill College rodeo program, please visit https://hillcollegeathletics.com.