By Stan Caldwell
PRCC Sports Information

Pearl River Community College has announced that it will be hosting its first sanctioned rodeo event in the Wildcat program’s brief history.
PRCC will be hosting the season-opening rodeo of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Ozark Region 2017-18 season. The event will be held Sept. 14-16 at the James Lynn Cartlidge Multi-Purpose Building in Hattiesburg, Miss.
“It is rare for a team in the second season of participation to be invited by the Ozark Region’s director and other head advisors to host a seasonal rodeo,” said PRCC rodeo advisor Robbie Shaw.
“We are very excited to be hosting and we want to make our rodeo as successful as possible.”
Shaw said at this time he expects all 13 schools in the Ozark Region to compete in the Hattiesburg rodeo.
It has been one year since the Pearl River rodeo team was formed, and it was a solid debut season for the Wildcats, capped by freshman Andrew Burks’ third-place finish in tie-down roping in June at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyo.
The Wildcats also had several other competitors place among the top 15 in the region in their specialties, including returning sophomores Ryder Ladner, Nick Gonzales and Kelton Carr.
In addition, Pearl River Community College has some talented newcomers joining the program.
Action begins each night at 7:30 p.m., with preliminary rounds on Thursday and Friday, and the championship finals on Saturday. Admission will be $10 each night.
Sponsorships are also available for VIP seating and other enhancements. Contact Shaw at 601-795-5836 or rshaw@prcc.edu for more information.