Triplett to give knee one more week's rest

Columbia Falls professional bull rider Matt Triplett has decided to sit out the Professional Bull Riders event scheduled for April 11 in Nampa, Idaho.

Triplett, who tore his media collateral ligament at the Professional Bull Riders event in Albuquerque in March, plans to return to action at the MetraPark arena in Billings on April 17-18.

Triplett, 23, is the No. 2 ranked rider in the PBR Built Ford Tough Series world standings. He recently met with a doctor in Texas and decided to give his knee one more week to heal before returning to full competition.

He spent eight weeks as the top-ranked bull rider in the world before he was injured in Albuquerque. He still leads the PBR with five round wins and two event wins this season.