Whitehorse High School standout Lyric Phillips makes lots of noise for Utah State rodeo team

by David Boyle
News Director
Former Aneth resident Lyric Phillips competed in the College National Finals Rodeo in Casper, Wyoming last week.
Phillips represents the Utah State University Aggies as the heeler in the team roping event and was one of three athletes representing the USU Aggies.
Phillips finished 30th place in the event. He recorded a 7.5-second run in Go 2 but was unable to notch times in Go 1 or Go 3 with a teammate from Utah Valley University.
According to the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association, Phillips along with teammate Daniel Estrada took second place in the Long Go with a 7.4-second run at the USU Fall Stampede on Friday, June 6.
They won the Short Go with a six-second run, winning the average in team roping. Phillips also won the Rocky Mountain Regional to qualify for the national finals in September.
He is in his freshman season after graduating from Whitehorse High School in 2024. He was a dual-sport athlete, named the 2024 Navajo Times Basketball Player of the Year and was a Utah All-State basketball player.
In 2024 he set the state record for three-point baskets in a game with 14 and three-point baskets in a season with 130.