Pendleton’s Trent Sorey, right, celebrates his National Finals Steer Roping title with Weatherford College coach Johnny Emmons on May 29, 2023, in Clarendon, Texas.

CLARENDON, Texas — Pendleton’s Trent Sorey won the first-ever college division championship at the National Finals Steer Roping on May 29, winning the first round and holding on for the title with a time of 61.6 seconds.

“It was pretty special,” he said. “It was a pretty cool deal. They kept the cattle pretty user-friendly. From the first one to the end, everyone got better. It’s a dying event and they are trying to bring it back. We had six of our (college) rodeos that had it. Next year, there will be more people wanting to do it.”

A junior at Weatherford College, Sorey won the first round with a time of 12.4 seconds, then tied for third in the second round (12.4), and was 10th in the third round (18.4).

He secured the title with a time of 18.6 seconds — good for fourth place — in the championship round.

“I knew it was going to be more of a marathon than a sprint,” Sorey said. “I knew getting qualified was the way to go.”

Sorey, 23, was one of 22 athletes in the event. He received a champion buckle for winning the first round, and a saddle for winning the title.

Sorey rode his older brother Pake’s horse Elvis during his title run.

“He had him down there (Texas) at the start of the year,” said Sorey, who is working on his degree in agricultural business/business leadership at Weatherford. “There were a couple of trippings we went to. He decided to leave him there for me. It worked out pretty darn good.”

Sorey’s life has been a whirlwind of sorts the past couple of weeks.

He attended friend Kirk Liscom’s graduation at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, the next day his nephew JB was born, and two days later he was competing for a national title.

“It was a pretty cool week,” he said.

Sorey, who also competes on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association circuit, won the Oregon State High School Rodeo Finals title in tie-down roping in 2019.

Sorey is home for the summer, which means farming and roping.

“We should stay pretty busy, he said. “We’ll circuit rodeo for the rest of the summer.”

That means steer roping when it’s offered, and tie-down roping.

“A few have the steer roping,” Sorey said. “Pendleton has it, and so does Ellensburg, Walla Walla, Lewiston, Prineville, Coulee City and some others. It’s fun to compete at home. It’s pretty special to rope with my brother and my dad (Tom). It has been a blessing to say the least.”