A Minot High graduate and four-time high school state rodeo champion recently capped off his collegiate career in a big way.

Seth Peterson, a member of Minot’s 2016 graduating class, represented the University of Wyoming in the College National Finals Rodeo. The event took place June 13-19 at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.

There, Peterson tied for the fastest time of the week in the calf roping competition as he clocked in at 7.7 seconds. Now a senior at Wyoming, Peterson says this accomplishment was a fantastic way to end his college rodeo career.

“It was really an amazing experience and the crowd was awesome,” Peterson tells The Minot Daily News. “To have one last chance to represent my school and perform the way I did, it was real special.”

As it turned out, Peterson’s chance for a memorable performance came completely out of the blue. The University of Wyoming senior nabbed his first calf in 10.2 seconds in the first round of the tie down roping competition, but was unable to rope corral his second calf in the following round last Thursday.

Rather than dwelling on a missed opportunity, Peterson says he just geared up to make the most of the final rope of his college career. Following his time in the third and final round, Peterson finished 17th overall with 75 total points. The Minot High graduate credits his horse, a 10-year-old American Quarter named “Cat,” with putting himself in position to secure one of the fastest times of the week.

“After coming up short in the second round, I knew I was going to draw a really good calf in the next round. My horse gave me a great chance to execute the plan, and I just went out there and did my job,” Peterson says.

Academically, Peterson, a Minot native, graduates from the University of Wyoming with bachelor’s degrees in both finance and business agriculture. He plans to continue his rodeo career professionally and also manages horses for other clients, an entrepreneurial venture he started with his girlfriend this past winter. Having attended his first rodeo at the tender age of three, he says his family has been instrumental in his success to this point.

“My aunts and uncles had a big influence on me growing up, there’s no way I would have gotten as far as I have without their support,” he adds.