PORTALES, N.M. – The Eastern New Mexico University rodeo team begins its 2026 campaign on home dirt this Thursday, welcoming the Caprock Region to Lewis-Cooper Arena for the College Daze Rodeo.
The rodeo will feature nightly performances beginning at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and will welcome all 10 schools from the Caprock Region: ENMU, Clarendon College, Western Texas College, Texas Tech, New Mexico Junior College, Odessa College, South Plains College, West Texas A&M, Howard College and Frank Phillips College.
Saturday's performance will feature the championship short round, along with a special presentation honoring former ENMU rodeo head coach Albert Flinn, who retired this past July after six decades with the program.

A mix of new and familiar faces will make their 2026 debuts for the Greyhounds. Reigning Reserve National Tie-Down Champion and Portales native Cutter Pareo returns, along with College National Finals Rodeo qualifier Shaeden Marr, who competes in breakaway roping, goat tying and team roping.ENMU will be without 2025 Reserve National Champion Header and three-event CNFR qualifier Jacob Walters, who now serves as the head coach at Caprock Region competitor Western Texas College.

"There's lots of new faces, new coaches… as much as last year was new times for Eastern New Mexico rodeo, I would say this year really is… but the goal remains the same," said head coach John Sharp.

Sharp brings in a talented group of transfers with numerous titles and CNFR qualifications from last season. Brooke Bruner, a Parker, Colorado, native, makes the move from Frank Phillips College after finishing as the 2026 Caprock All-Around Reserve Champion. Shaylee Baxley joins the program from Texas Tech after earning the 2026 Caprock Region Breakaway Championship. Kaylee Stroud also makes the move from Lubbock after earning the Caprock Reserve Goat Tying Champion title last season. Stroud won the goat tying short round at the College National Finals Rodeo and finished fifth in the average.
Allie Murphy and Hadley White round out the group of Texas Tech transfers. Murphy was the 2024 Southwest Region Barrel Racing Champion, while White finished seventh in the nation in steer wrestling at last year's CNFR.
Six freshmen will also make their Greyhound debuts, including New Mexico natives Amy Murphy, Cade Lee and Cash Chavez; Colorado native Leah Wood; New Jersey native Nick Candeloro; and British Columbia, Canada, native Zoey Hamming.

Eastern will also have a new face on its coaching staff, with McKenna Clingman joining the program as an assistant coach. The Laramie, Wyoming, native was the 2024 national champion in goat tying for Colorado Mesa University.
"(Clingman) has come in and worked hard from day one… she really embraces the same embodiment that I really try to build the program around, which is doing everything you can to put the team and the kids ahead of yourself," Sharp said of Clingman's impact on the team so far.

"I expect nothing less than the kids to do their best. Our goal is to try and win the men's and women's team titles at our home rodeo… I think it's going to be really great," Sharp said about the team's outlook competing on its home dirt.
This year's College Daze Rodeo will also include a new specialty event, giving members of the public their own opportunity to compete on the dirt at Lewis-Cooper Arena. The goat dressing competition will feature teams of four racing relay-style to put four articles of clothing on a goat.

Tickets are still available for all three nights, along with weekend passes.

The College Daze Rodeo will also be streamed live each night on the ENMU Athletics YouTube channel.