Alejandra Franco

Franco died on 24 September 2026 in Alpine, Texas, at the age of 20. She was competing for Tarleton State at the 81st Annual Sul Ross College Rodeo in the S.A.L.E. Arena when she suffered injuries during the performance. Sul Ross State University Rodeo announced that a Tarleton athlete had died from injuries sustained that Thursday night and named Franco; Tarleton State confirmed the loss. Officials did not release a detailed public account of the accident or a more specific medical cause. The National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association issued condolences. The Alpine rodeo weekend continued as scheduled in her honor, with purple ribbons at the gate and counselors available for athletes. A Rosary and visitation were held at Lacy Funeral Home, with a funeral Mass on 29 September 2026 at St. Mary's Catholic Church and burial planned in Mexico. She is survived by her parents, Alejandro Franco Lucio and Susana Briseno, and her brothers Rodrigo and Mariano.

Alejandra Franco Briseno was born on 25 August 2006 in Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico, to Alejandro Franco Lucio and Susana Eugenia Briseno. She had two brothers, Rodrigo and Mariano. She was a member of St. Brendan Catholic Church and kept close ties to her family in Mexico, where her parents later lived in Solorzano. Those who knew her described an adventurous young woman who loved horses, the outdoors and hiking, and who was seldom without a smile.

Franco studied at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, and competed in breakaway roping for the Tarleton State Rodeo Team. On campus she was active in the 1899 Service Cord Program, the Organization of Latinx-American Students, Tarleton State Block and Bridle, the Tarleton State Pickleball Club, Tarleton State Serves, Tarleton Transition Mentors and Meet the Greeks. Head rodeo coach Mark Eakin remembered her as more than a student athlete: a leader who made teammates and classmates feel welcomed and loved. University president James Hurley praised her friendly smile, leadership and kindness.

Outside the arena Franco's life centered on family, faith and campus friendships. She celebrated her twentieth birthday on 25 August 2026, marked by a greeting from the Tarleton Rodeo team's social accounts. Her interests ran to horses, rodeoing, outdoor time and hiking. Teammates and coaches spoke of her warmth and the way she looked after others, including through Tarleton Transition Mentors, which helps welcome incoming students.

Franco's death drew tributes across collegiate rodeo in Texas. Coach Mark Eakin said the Tarleton team would compete in her honor and that her memory would live on through the lives she touched. Purple ribbons and statements from Sul Ross, Tarleton and the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association marked a community-wide mourning. On campus she is remembered as a mentor and teammate as well as a competitor, a young woman whose kindness and leadership reached beyond the roping box.