UW Cowgirl Mousel Snags Goat-Tying Lead After Opening Round

CASPER -- It's been a two-way battle for the top spot in the individual women's standings this season.

While Gillette College's Brylee Grubb came out on top in the all-around -- racking up 540 points in barrel racing played a major role in that -- it's Josie Mousel who capped the 2025-26 campaign with the goat-tying title.

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Finishing in first place in her main event five times in 10 Central Rocky Mountain Region rodeos helped lead to 1,350 total points, just 105 behind Grubb, who finished a distant second when it comes to the female version of tie-down roping.

Mousel, who got the last laugh when the Cowgirls claimed a team title -- the first in head coach Seth Glause's tenure -- was at it again Monday inside the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.

The Colman, S.D., native landed a blazing-fast time of 5.7 seconds in the first slack session of the College National Finals Rodeo, taking the national lead.

This isn't uncharted territory for Mousel, who spent more than half the season as the leader in this category.

“One miss on a tie can take you out of the average,” she said. “I need to keep my head down, keep focused on all the goats I have left -- and, if I make no mistakes, the cards will land in my favor.”

That didn't happen inside this very building last June. Mousel missed the finals and finished with a no-time when her goat kicked out of the tie. The sophomore has two more rounds remaining to get herself in the Top 10 and keep her title hopes alive.

“All I could think at that point is to make sure I get a good running start to the goat and, after that, it’s all a blur," she said, referring to her opening-round execution. "I can’t think of a whole lot at that point."

Her run was similar to last season, when she won the goat tying’s third round. She hopes to regain her status as the national leader for the rest of the week. Mousel competed earlier in the morning in breakaway roping but missed her calf.

Fourteen UW team members also competed Monday during the first of two straight days of slack. It was a tough go for most of the Cowboys and Cowgirls.

Two of Mousel’s Cowgirl teammates saw their first CNFR action earlier in the day. Layni Stevens, of St. Lawrence, S.D., managed a 6.6-second time in goat tying that put her 11th after the first round. Rock Springs’ Mackenzi Scott stopped the clock in 14.38 seconds in barrel racing, putting her 25th in the average.

The Cowboys really struggled to find their footing throughout the day, especially in the timed events.

In steer wrestling, Thayne Kimbrough, from Ohiowa, Neb., had the top individual performance for the Pokes, placing 11th overall based on his 5.1-second opening steer wrestling run. Teammates Jacob Wang, of Baker, Mont., and Sam Gallagher, of Brighton, Colo., both recorded no-times on their runs.

Tate Talkington, from Scottsbluff, Neb., and Traven Sharon, of Ordway, Colo., turned in the top tie-down roping performances for the Cowboys. Talkington posted a time of 11.9 seconds, while Sharon roped his calf in 14.02, leaving them 14th and 19th, respectively, after the opening round.

Sitting in the top 30 in the same event are teammates Rio Nutter, of Rapid City, S.D., and Treg Thorstensen, of Lantry, S.D., who were both hit with 10-second penalties for breaking the barrier coming out of the box too early. Nutter’s time was 19.4, and Thorstensen’s was 22.1.

Only one of three UW team roping teams had a successful run Monday.

The Weil brothers, Rowdy and Roan, both had good ropes, recording a 15.1-second time. The duo of Nutter and Thorstensen had no-time, as did Kash Reynolds, from Rozet, and partner Tyon Arneson, representing Sheridan College.

And Aidan Sawyer, of Sheridan, was bucked off his bull for the second straight day.

The first of four nightly performances is Tuesday evening, with the top 12 individual marks and times in both the men’s and women’s events earning championship-round bids Saturday night.

* A UW press release contributed to this report