The MSU-Northern rodeo teams currently have a break between the end of the regular season and the College National Finals Rodeo. That doesn’t mean that head coach Doug Kallenberger has been sitting idly by. He has brought on two new recruits to help continue his legacy for the Lights and Skylights rodeo teams.
Brooklin Baukol and Maurice Redhorn III have both had decorated careers in the field, but the timings of their signings could not be more different.
Baukol is a University of Montana transfer, who coach Kallenberger said didn’t feel at home in the western part of the state. When they had conversations about the impact she could make, she jumped on board, according to her new head coach.
“Brooklin called me and said, ‘I’m just not fitting here. I don’t feel like Missoula is my home.’ So we talked to her and I think she’ll be a great fit,” Kallenberger said. “She’s a great addition.”
“Brooklin is a whale of a breakaway roper,” Kallenberger continued. “She’s going to be a really good asset for our team. She’s very much a team player.”
“Brooklin’s got some really nice barrel horses,” Kallenberger said. “A two-team event cowgirl there that we expect will be a great addition to our team.”
Redhorn III is a rodeo savant, but he also dabbles in basketball. It will be the first time in MSU-Northern athletics history that a multi-sport athlete will dip their toes on both the hardwood and in the dirt. Kallenberger reflected on signing Redhorn III in a tag team effort with men’s basketball coach Shawn Huse and the conversations that were behind it all.
“First time for everything. We have had kids that have wrestled and rodeoed, but not basketball,” Kallenberger said. “We talked about that. Shawn was like, ‘How does this work? I’ve never done really a signing of rodeo and basketball.'”
“We went over our seasons. They don’t overlap at all,” Kallenberger continued. “Coach Huse was like, ‘This will look great!'”
“Maurice is a reasonable kid. He’s from Browning. He grew up around horses. He’s roping,” Kallenberger said. “Maurice is like, ‘My love is basketball, but I want to continue to rodeo.’ The kid’s got a great work ethic (and he’s) good in the classroom.”
