Simonson and Diesel second in nation

The world of college rodeo found out a few weeks ago what the Loring, Phillips County, and many other parts of Montana already knew.

Keira Simonson, daughter of Dan and Judy Simonson of Loring, is a great barrel racer.

On Sunday, September 30, Simonson, a senior at the University of Montana and graduate of Whitewater High School, closed the Fall Semester leading the Big Sky Region Barrel Racing event with 577 points. The closest rider to Simonson is Celie Salmond of Montana State University with 331 points.

With the spring semester of college rodeo starting in April, Simonson and her horse...