CASPER, Wyo. — After Lake County riders put on a show at the high school rodeo finals two weeks back, Arlee resident Jessica Picchietti went a big step further. She saddled up and won first place in breakaway roping at the college rodeo finals last week, making her a national champ. Put simply, she is the best of the best in the event.

Picchietti rides for Central Wyoming College out of Riverton, Wyo.

She went into the final round seeded third in the event. Then, she roped her calf with a time of 3.1 to place her first with two riders left. The second to last rider had a pretty slow time so things were looking good. The final rider wrapped her rope around her calf, but then everyone watched as the rope slipped free.

“People just came running to me and told me I won,” she said, after her nerves finally gave way to sheer excitement.

She jumped on her horse for a victory lap, then was greeted by reporters from ESPN and elsewhere when she came to a halt.

“By that time I was so excited I started bawling,” she said. “All my work had finally paid off.”

Picchietti came close to a huge finish in goat tying as well. She had finished in the top five in just about every preliminary round, but had her goat get up in the final short run, taking her out of contention to place in the top group.

Only a junior to-be, Picchietti has quite a lot to be proud of and high hopes for next year.

“I’d like to do good in the summer rodeos and make it to the finals and become a national champ again,” she said.

Picchietti moved to Arlee from Missoula when she was little and went to high school at Loyola Sacred Heart. She grew up in a rodeo family with both of her parents participating in rodeo themselves.

“My dad always had a rope in my hand when I was little,” she said. 

Now she has set the standard for the young riders of the Lake County Rodeo community busy working their way up in junior and high school rodeo.