Men's Rodeo 9/13/2026 9:53:00 AM Logan Hoff, Sports Information Coordinator

Rodeo opens season in dominant fashion, men claim team title at Wisconsin-River Falls

Mystics pick up right where they left off to start third year as a program

RIVER FALLS, Wis. -- Bismarck State rodeo opened the 2026-27 season with a statement performance at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls Rodeo on Sept. 11-12, with the men's team claiming first place out of 10 competing programs and the women's team finishing third out of seven.

The men's squad accumulated 750.0 points to outdistance second-place Mid-Plains Community College (660.0) by 90 points, with Black Hills State University rounding out the top three at 420.0 points. The dominant showing came on the strength of multiple top-two finishes across events, continuing the program's rapid rise in just its third season of competition.

"We talked all summer about coming out and setting the tone early, and I thought our kids did exactly that," said third-year head coach Jon Peek. "To go on the road to open the season and win a team title against that kind of competition says a lot about where this program is headed. Our men competed from start to finish, and our women showed a lot of promise as well. We're excited about what this group can accomplish this season."

Will DeMontigny headlined the men's individual performances, winning the bareback riding title with a two-run score of 151.0 points and finishing second in tie-down roping with a time of 35.2 seconds. His all-around efforts placed him second in the Men's All-Around standings with 290.0 points, just 10 points behind Mid-Plains' Kahiwa Augustiro.

Kale Hansen, who competed at the College National Finals Rodeo last June, picked up right where he left off, winning the tie-down roping title with a time of 21.7 seconds to lead what was a strong BSC showing in that event. Teammates Tiegan Earsley and Cael Hilzendeger finished fourth and seventh, respectively, giving the Mystics four of the top nine finishers in the event.

Beau Hemmingson added a fourth-place finish in bull riding with a score of 66.0 and rounded out a strong all-around week, finishing sixth in the Men's All-Around standings with 120.0 points. Tucker Turbiville rounded out the Mystics' individual men's results with an eighth-place finish in steer wrestling.

On the women's side, CeeJay Bohmbach tied for first in breakaway roping with a time of 6.2 seconds, sharing the top spot with Iowa Central's Braxtin Casey Lyman, to fuel the women's team's third-place finish with 180.0 points. Black Hills State won the women's team title with 600.0 points, followed by South Dakota State at 230.0.

The Mystics now turn their attention to upcoming rodeos on the 2026-27 circuit as they look to build on a breakthrough 2025-26 campaign that included a national championship, an all-around title and a fifth-place national team finish at the College National Finals Rodeo.

They hit the road once again next week and head to North Platte, Neb. for a doubleheader, a pair of rodeos hosted by Mid-Plains Community College. The first rodeo will be one long go, beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, and concluding Friday morning during the 9 a.m. slack. The second rodeo will be a long go and top 10 short go, beginning with the Friday night performance at 7 p.m., followed by slack on Saturday 9 a.m. and the short go finals at 7 p.m.

Following that three-day affair, the teams return home to prepare for their home rodeo, the Mystics Stampede, which will be held on Friday & Saturday, Oct. 2 & 3. Visit bismarckstate.edu/Rodeo for more information on the event, and see BSCMystics.com/Tickets to save your spot at this year's festivities.