Dillon Sherrick is no stranger to rodeo. The cowboy from Welch, Oklahoma, has been riding and roping since he was 9 years old. Today, he holds the title of 2017 Central Plains Region champion calf roper, and last month he had the opportunity to compete for a national title in Casper, Wyoming.

Crediting his father for getting him started in roping, Sherrick said his dad has always competed in rodeos, and Sherrick wanted to be just like him.

After two years of college rodeo at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College in Miami, Oklahoma, Sherrick and his horse, Hector, made the trek to Stillwater to begin his junior year in agricultural communications at Oklahoma State University. He will begin his senior year in August.

“I’ve always liked [OSU,]” Sherrick said. “I came out here and talked to the rodeo coach, Cody Hollingsworth, and it just seemed like it was going to be a good fit for me.”

Sherrick competes for OSU in the tie-down roping as part of the rodeo team, which travels all over Oklahoma, Kansas and parts of Missouri. His favorite parts of being on the rodeo team are the people and the family atmosphere of the team.

To earn the Central Plains Region champion calf roper title, Sherrick competed in all 10 rodeos in the region, posting the highest number of points at the end of the year. In doing so, he earned a spot in the College National Finals Rodeo last month. Sherrick finished 26^th in the tie-down roping.

“Dillon has been a great addition to our team,” said Cody Hollingsworth, OSU Rodeo program and facilities coordinator. “His hard work and steady approach have helped him become a leader in a very short time. It’s great to see his efforts pay off with the success he has had this past year.”

Sherrick said his favorite rodeo memory was becoming the 2015 Indian world champion calf roper at the Indian National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas, Nevada. In 2016, Sherrick also was invited to a roping event in Joplin, Missouri, where some of the top ropers in the world compete.

Sherrick and the rest of the OSU Rodeo Team will kick off their 2017-2018 season on September 15 at Colby Community College in Colby, Kan.

Part of the OSU College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, the OSU Rodeo Team was established in 1946 when six young men started practicing and competing together after they returned from World War II. The team has been a member of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association since 1948 and competes in the Central Plains Region. Today, the OSU Rodeo Team provides an opportunity for students to continue to grow in the sport and gain a top-notch education. For more information, visit rodeo.okstate.edu.

###

REPORTER: Rachel Metzger

MEDIA CONTACT:
Melissa Mourer
Communications Coordinator
Agricultural Communications Services
144 Agriculture North
Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK 74078
Phone: 405-744-3737
Fax: 405-744-5739
Email: melissa.mourer@okstate.edu

Oklahoma State University, U. S. Department of Agriculture, State and Local governments cooperating: Oklahoma State University in compliance with Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and other federal and state laws and regulations, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability, or status as a veteran in any of its policies, practices, or procedures, and is an equal opportunity employer.