Sixteen-year old Kortney Cleveland of Menifee County clinched the California High School Rodeo Association state barrel racing title held from June 16 to 21 at the Californian city of Bishop.

Barrel racing horses and the riders converged in this prestigious event. In the end, it was Cleveland who dominated overall at the finals with recorded time of 52.882 seconds for the three runs she conducted. She placed first in the two runs and third in the other.

In an interview, the young rider shared that it took a lot of effort on her end during training and she’s glad that it all paid off. Aside from her passion in barrel racing, she’s also an active student at the Calvary Chapel Murrieta High School where she’s currently on her junior year.

For winning the aforementioned event, Cleveland will take part at the National High School Rodeo Association (NHSRA) barrel racing finals from July 17 to 25 in Farmington, New Mexico where thousands of participants all over the country will converge and compete.

The top finalists in state competitions usually qualify for the national finals. Joining Cleveland are sisters Macy Devenport and Destri Devenport who clinched runner-up berths in the competition.