AJHSRA: Fort Defiance cowgirl wins state title

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In her rookie season, Cauleen Segay, 12, came up one spot short of making nationals with the Arizona Junior High School Rodeo Association.

The Fort Defiance cowgirl took fifth in the girls breakaway roping as a sixth grader at Tséhootsoi Middle School last year.

She finished fifth again in the breakaway event this past season, but Segay is headed to nationals by winning the state title in the ribbon roping with roping partner John Boyd IV of Casa Grande, Arizona.

“It’s exciting,” she said. “I’m happy that I got qualified.”

The National Junior High Finals is scheduled for June 18-24 in Perry, Georgia.

The ribbon roping pair won the average race at Safford and Wilcox during the regular season, which put them in third place heading into last month’s junior high state finals in Holbrook.

Behind three outstanding runs, the pair won the state crown by earning 42 points at the state finals for a year-end total of 126.5 points.

“We were really consistent, and we were on point,” Segay said.

The pair took second in all three rounds, posting a 9.62 run in the first round, 9.52 in the second and 9.14 in the short round.

Segay said the three runs they made at the junior high state finals helped determine the outcome of the year-end race with Colter Lee Todd and Savanna Keith coming up 6.5 points behind the winning pair.

“I was just so excited that we won, and I thanked my partner for doing his part,” she said.

Segay’s older brother, Colby, was one of the first ones to congratulate her for making nationals.

“She’s progressed a lot,” Colby said of his sister. “This is her second year right now, so she’s still getting into it. She had a good year.

“She came close to qualifying in the breakaway, but she came up short one spot,” he added.

Colby, a multi-national junior high qualifier, made the jump to the high schools ranks this past year as a freshman at Window Rock High School.

“It was a big step,” Colby said. “It’s way different from junior high. Everything is more advanced and more competitive, but I think I kind of connected with it easily.”

For the high school rodeo season, Colby did bull riding and team roping as he was outside the top 12 in both events heading into last week’s high school finals in Prescott.

Cauleen said she’s admired what her older brother has accomplished, but she’s looking to make her own path.

Nonetheless, she’s learned a lot from Colby as she is looking to make some noise at nationals.

“I’ve watched him compete at nationals and he’s taught me to stay consistent,” she said. “He’s one of my support system and I’m glad that I have my entire family behind me.”

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