Press Release 6/8/2026

MTE Linemen Deliver Award-Winning Performance at Valley Rodeo

MTE Lineman Rodeo Team brought home 13 awards and two overall division honors in the annual competition

Murfreesboro, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee Electric’s (MTE) Lineman Rodeo Team earned 13 awards at the annual Tennessee Valley Lineman Rodeo held June 5-6 in Florence, Alabama.

The two-day competition, established in 1998 by and for employees of Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power distributors, recognizes lineworkers for excellence in safety, skill and technical knowledge. More than 300 competitors participated this year in events designed to test the abilities required in the electric utility industry.

MTE’s top honors included a first-place overall finish in the Senior Lineman Division by Adam Montgomery and a second-place overall finish in the Apprentice Lineman Division by Tyler McClendon.

“I’m so proud of all 21 of our linemen who competed and represented MTE and our members in an exceptional way,” said MTE President and CEO Chris Jones. “This was a tremendous showing for our team and a reflection of the skill, dedication and professionalism they bring to the job every day. Linemen are incredible first responders, and the rodeo provides an opportunity to showcase the expertise, training and commitment to safety their work requires.”

The annual competition is divided into categories based on experience level. MTE team members earned the following placements in team and individual events:

TEAM

Team 22: Billy Alexander, Nolan Farris and Adam Montgomery
- C1 Conductor Tie – second place
Team 24: AJ Hamlet, Dylan Parker and Matt Patrick
- Transformer Change – second place
- Hurtman Rescue – third place

Senior Lineman

Adam Montgomery
- Overall senior – first place
- Bell and arrestor changes – first place
- Transformer connector change – first place
- Hurtman Rescue – third place
Chris Gossett
- Hurtman Rescue – first place
- Arrestor and bell change – second place

Apprentice Lineman

Tyler McClendon
- Overall Apprentice – second place
- Jack jumper changes – first place
- A6 bell change – first place
Preston Campbell
- Jack jumper change – third place

About Middle Tennessee Electric (MTE)

Founded in 1936, MTE is the largest electric cooperative in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) region and the second largest in the United States, serving more than 750,000 Tennesseans via 345,000+ accounts covering nearly 2,200 square miles in 11 Middle Tennessee counties, primarily Rutherford, Cannon, Williamson and Wilson. Municipalities served include Murfreesboro, Franklin, Brentwood, Smyrna, La Vergne, Lebanon and Mt. Juliet. MTE employs around 540 people in six local offices and its Murfreesboro headquarters. 
 
MTE’s subsidiary, United Communications, is a nationally recognized broadband company with a fiber network spanning more than 6,100 route miles, providing high-speed internet and phone services to portions of Bedford, Davidson, Franklin, Giles, Lincoln, Marshall, Maury, Moore, Rutherford, Williamson, and Wilson counties.