Meet Jacey Hupp: The Coach Behind Wyoming’s Breakaway Ropers and Goat Tyers

Jayce Hupp, Photo courtesy of UW Athletics.

CASPER, Wyo. - As University of Wyoming assistant rodeo coach Jacey Hupp walks through the Ford Wyoming Center during the College National Finals Rodeo, she knows exactly what her student-athletes are experiencing.

The South Dakota native competed at the CNFR four times as a contestant for South Dakota State University and qualified for college rodeo's biggest stage every year she was eligible, except during the COVID season when the championship was not held.

Today, Hupp helps coach Wyoming's breakaway ropers, goat tyers and barrel racers, drawing from years of experience from competing at the highest collegiate level.

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"I competed in goat tying, breakaway roping, and team roping in the heading," Hupp said.

Like many competitors PokesNews.com interviews, Hupp’s rodeo career dreams began when she was a child.

"My brother is 6 years older than I am," Hupp said. "In South Dakota, we can do 4-H rodeo. So that's ages from 8 to 18. My earliest memories were playing with my friends, not quite being old enough to compete myself, but watching everybody and anxiously waiting for when I was old enough to do it."

Growing up in a rodeo family, attending South Dakota State seemed almost inevitable.

"Both my parents, both my siblings went to SDSU, and my dad told me when I graduated high school that I could go wherever I wanted, but tuition's paid at Brookings," Hupp said. "So it was very much a rite of passage for me to go to SDSU and represent there."

Representing her home state meant everything to her.

"I always felt the support statewide," Hupp said. "When I was out here or even competing in my region for college, I honestly felt that when I came out here to Wyoming too. I feel like the whole state just wrapped their arms around me and supported me in whatever I did."

Four Trips to the CNFR

Hupp had a very successful collegiate rodeo career.

She qualified for the CNFR in goat tying every year and added team roping heading during her sophomore season. While she never captured a national championship, she consistently found herself among the nation's elite competitors.

"My freshman year, I ended up third," Hupp said. "My sophomore year, I was leading the average on two head and then had to go get up on my third round to be leading it going into the short go."

Even during her final season, when she suffered a serious injury, Hupp refused to quit.

"My last year, it was not a great scenario, but I ended up tearing my MCL," she said. "So I had to tie my third go with a torn MCL as well as my short go with a torn MCL."

Although she fell short of her ultimate goal of bringing home a CNFR title, she remained a contender throughout her collegiate career.

"I didn't quite fill my goal of being a national champion, but I was lucky enough to either win a round or be in the short round every year."

Those experiences now help her guide Wyoming's athletes as they compete in Casper.

"There are a lot of little things out here too that can make a difference for you just settling in and being comfortable and learn to warm up and just little things," Hupp said.

A Surprise Path to Wyoming

After her collegiate career, Hupp chose a different path.

She worked as a loan officer with the Farm Service Agency within the United States Department of Agriculture in Huron, South Dakota.

"I was a loan officer actually," Hupp said. "I was in ag lending for three years before I came to Wyoming."

She never expected coaching to become her next chapter.

"It was absolutely a God thing," Hupp said of receiving the opportunity to join Wyoming's coaching staff.

The tight-knit rodeo community played a major role in connecting her with Wyoming head coach Seth Glause.

"The thing about rodeo is everybody knows everybody and is comfortable to call up anybody even if you don't know them," Hupp said. "I was completely surprised by it truthfully, because I had people throw my hat in the ring and tell Seth Glause, the head coach, that they needed to call me."

When Glause first reached out, Hupp admits she was stunned.

"I had to ask Seth actually a couple months into the job, what did I say the first time that you called me?" she said. "Because I feel like I was so shocked."

Finding a Home in Wyoming

Moving nearly 500 miles away from home can cause uncertainty for anyone. Instead, Hupp found a welcoming community in Wyoming.

"I was a little nervous moving 500 miles from home," she said. "I'm going to have to bear down and really put some work in because I'm going to be that girl from South Dakota that's coming into Wyoming."

Her concerns quickly disappeared.

"It was absolutely not that way at all," Hupp said. "From the campus on the university to all of my students, to all the parents, everybody was arms wide open. And I felt right at home, my first day."

One of her earliest memories as a Wyoming coach came during a road trip to Nebraska.

"It seemed like every gas station we stopped at, there was a steamboat in the gas stations," Hupp recalled. "And I'm like, wow, everybody loves Wyoming."

Even to this day, Hupp still sees reminders of the state’s pride in their only four-year university.

"There's just a steamboat everywhere, and everybody's just a fan."

Asked whether Wyoming has become a second home, Hupp didn't hesitate in the least.

"Absolutely, yes, absolutely," she said.

Overcoming Tragedy

In May of 2023, Hupp's life changed forever.

Her parents, along with her niece Harper, were killed when a propane-related explosion destroyed a family home in South Dakota.

"My parents, as well as my niece Harper, passed away from it," Hupp said.

Two of her young nephews survived.

"By the absolute grace of God, Miles and Royce survived and they're still with us today."

The boys endured extensive medical treatment and recovery, but Hupp says they continue to inspire the entire family.

"Miles competed in his first rodeo this year and Royce is playing T-ball now and he's pretty tough to keep up with," Hupp said.

Her admiration for Miles is unmistakable.

"He's my hero," Hupp said. "They both are."

During medical evaluations following the explosion, doctors discovered a brain tumor in Miles that otherwise might have gone unnoticed.

"We very much call him our superhero that just inspires all of us," Hupp said.

Leaning on Family and Faith

The tragedy occurred shortly before she ultimately accepted the coaching position at Wyoming.

At the time, leaving home for Wyoming felt nearly impossible.

"I told Seth Glause, I need some time to think about this because I don't know if I can leave my family during this time and I don't think I want to," Hupp said.

Her siblings encouraged her to pursue the opportunity.

"They were pushing me and telling me I needed to go and take this opportunity," she said.

Today, she credits family, faith and an incredible support system for helping her move forward.

"My family," Hupp said when asked what carried her through the adversity.

"My circle of friends and family and specifically my siblings were who I wanted to not worry about me and just be proud of me."

Through it all, Hupp said her experiences have strengthened her faith.

"I just don't think there's any way you can't say there's not a God with everything that's happened to me really in the last four years," Hupp said.

Learning From the Best

Hupp also credits Glause for helping her grow as a coach.

"I couldn't ask for a better mentor, a better head coach," she said.

She points to his character and commitment to student-athletes as qualities she admires most.

"Truthfully, his work ethic and his moral compass is something that I am so proud to learn from," Hupp said.

"He always wants to do what is best for our students, our program and the state of Wyoming."

This South Dakota native is proud to call Wyoming home. She continues to guide the next generation of Cowboys and Cowgirls toward their own CNFR dreams. She wouldn’t trade anything for life in Laramie.

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