ALVA, Okla. – Denton Oestmann and Kaden Greenfield feel a bit of a sting, a bit of a loss.

Their final days as intercollegiate athletes came to an end without the fanfare both had envisioned at their last College National Finals Rodeo. By the time the national champions were celebrated Saturday night, both Northwestern Oklahoma State University cowboys had turned their attention to the next phase of their rodeo careers.

"Obviously, I would have wanted it to go quite a bit different," said Oestmann, a recent Northwestern graduate from Auburn, Nebraska. "I made a good run on my third calf;...