York commits to rodeo team at University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Weiser High School senior Sylais York has always dreamed of participating in college rodeo and plans to follow those dreams to University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and compete on the rodeo team.
 Surrounded by his parents and friends, York, a member of the Class of 2020, recently signed a letter of intent to rodeo for the Rebels, a Division 1 program.
 While in high school, York has lettered in football, wrestling and basketball, but rodeo has always been his best sport and being a member of a college rodeo team has always been the ultimate goal.
 When York qualified for the Junior World rodeo finals last year, it became clear that it was not a question of whether or not York would continue with rodeo in college, but where he would continue.
 While coaches from multiple schools had reached out to York, he had not yet heard from one of his top choices, UNLV and Coach Ric Griffith. York reached out to Griffith, but after leaving several messages, York contacted the assistant coach, Griffith’s daughter, who apologized for her dad and assured York that the Rebels were definitely interested in having him be a part of the team.
 After meeting Griffith, UNLV seemed to continue to be the ideal program for several reasons. UNLV has a strong tradition with 15 national titles since 1993, all under the direction of coach Griffith.
 Although UNLV is a larger Division 1 school, Griffith keeps his team small, meaning he can provide better scholarships and more personal attention to his team.
 Griffith told York that he is able to keep a tighter rein on the smaller team, helping them each do their best with more opportunities.
 York will compete for the Rebels in calf roping, team roping, and steer wrestling, and since it is a smaller team, York will not only be competing as an individual, he will be part of the points team for UNLV even as a freshman. York is also excited to have the opportunity to team rope with a senior.
 York impressed Griffith not only for his skills in the arena, but for his work in the classroom. York is graduating from WHS with high honors earning him the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) scholarship.
 Griffith, told York that, although he does not give freshmen large scholarships very often, because of the combination of his grades and skills, York would be an exception. UNLV rodeo will cover the remainder of York’s tuition giving him tuition scholarship for a combination of academics and athletics.
 UNLV also appealed to York for the location. Horses perform best in the warmer weather, making the climate in Vegas ideal. Vegas is also close enough that his two biggest fans, his mom and dad, will be able to watch him compete often throughout his four years.
 York shared that Griffith reminds him a lot of his Wolverine football coach Tom Harrison. He focuses a lot on character. York asked Griffith if he would lose his scholarship if he had a bad rodeo or if he needed to earn a minimum amount of points for the team to keep his scholarship.
 Griffith told him the only way he would lose his scholarship would be by damaging his character and reputation by partying or failing classes. The small team means that Griffith has high expectations for behavior and keeps a close eye on his team. Earning a full scholarship and competing as a freshman can be a lot of pressure, but after talking with coach Griffith, York is sure Vegas is exactly the place he needs to be.