Two Arlington cowgirls are headed to Wyoming for their first National High School Finals Rodeos this weekend.
Libby Hegemann is unofficially set to make her first goat-tying run Sunday at the Cam-plex Event Center in Gillette, while Hailey O'Daniel competes in the barrel racing Tuesday night.
Hegemann's second attempt at the week-long championship event is July 16 after O'Daniel makes her second run Thursday morning.
Both cowgirls earned their national qualifications with top season finishes on their respective circuits. Hegemann is the Nebraska High School Rodeo Association's goat-tying champion for 2021-2022, while O'Daniel earned second in the Iowa High School Rodeo Association barrel racing standings. The latter was just five points out of first place.
Both Washington County cowgirls are experienced competing on the national stage. Just last summer, Hegemann and O'Daniel each competed at the National Junior High Finals Rodeo in Des Moines, Iowa.
After returning home from the 2021 junior high finals, O'Daniel told Enterprise Media Group that reaching the 2022 high school finals was her goal.
