The four Wyoming college wrestlers who survived a harrowing grizzly bear encounter last fall were honored at Cheyenne Frontier Days Monday.
Brady Lowry, Kendall Cummings, Orrin Jackson and August Harrison, who all wrestle at Northwest College in Powell, were hosted by gaming company Cowboy Skill.
The four were hiking west of the Bobcat-Houlihan trailhead on the Shoshone National Forest last October when they separated into two pairs. Lowry and Cummings encountered the bear, which first attacked Lowry. Cummings then jumped on the bear's back to save his teammate, and it began attacking him.
Both were injured, and Jackson and Harrison helped get them down the mountain, where they were rescued by Park County Search and Rescue.
“People always ask me why I did it and the answer is I just felt like it was the right thing to do, I felt like it was what I had to do. if I didn’t do what I did, I think I would regret it every day,” Cummings said in a news release. When asked about being honored at Cheyenne Frontier Days, he added, “There were a lot of people here today, it means a lot, I really have no words.”
This is the third consecutive year that Cowboy Skill has hosted hometown heroes in their sponsor box. The company continues to share Cheyenne Frontier Days' enthusiasm for honoring those who demonstrate extraordinary bravery, generosity, and sacrifice while serving our communities.
Related:
'Horrific': 2 college wrestlers injured in grizzly attack outside Cody
'It was a miracle': Wyoming college wrestlers recount surviving grizzly bear attack
Back on the mat: Wrester returns after grizzly bear attack
