Fort Hays State University barrel racer Hailey Witte and her horse Hummer are at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming this week after finishing the regular season in second place in the FHSU region.&nbsp;

She finished third place in Round 1 and took the early lead in Round 2 to hold on for fifth place there. She is currently sitting second in the aggregate. 

Forty-four young ladies are competing for the 2025 national title.&nbsp;She makes her third run Thursday night and the top 12 after Round 3 will move on to the Final Round Saturday night.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Witte is a freshman from Crookston, Nebraska.&nbsp; This is the first national qualification for Fort Hays State in many years.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/5/1747922592528.jpeg" alt="Hailey Witte and her horse Hummer. Courtesy photo" />
 <figcaption>Hailey Witte and her horse Hummer. Courtesy photo</figcaption>
 </figure>Submitted Fort Hays State University barrel racer Hailey Witte and her horse Hummer are at the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming this week after finishing the regular season in second place in the FHSU region.&nbsp;She finished third place in Round 1 and took the early lead in Round 2 to hold on for fifth place there. She is currently sitting second in the aggregate. Forty-four young ladies are competing for the 2025 national title.&nbsp;She makes her third run Thursday night and the top 12 after Round 3 will move on to the Final Round Saturday night.&nbsp; &nbsp;Witte is a freshman from Crookston, Nebraska.&nbsp; This is the first national qualification for Fort Hays State in many years.

FHSU barrel racer competing in College National Finals Rodeo