Destination Rodeo

Round 2 winners at the CNFR…

Well done to our timed-event and roughstock athletes on their round wins 💪 While we are through with Round 2, our day is not over yet. Keep your seat; Round 3 will commence with Performance #1 at 7 p.m. WY 🕖

Good news!

Gods Speed to World Champion Dean Thompson!

HEALTH UPDATE: 2024 World Champion Dean Thompson has completed his final round of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with Burkitt’s Lymphoma earlier this year.

According to his wife, Chezney, the last three months included more than 40 chemotherapy treatments and six lumbar punctures. While Thompson still has two lumbar punctures remaining and a PET scan scheduled for July, she says “the end is in sight.”

The leaders after the big slack Monday at the CNFR!

College National Finals Rodeo completes first round of competition

CASPER, Wyo. (June 15, 2026) --- Reigning national champion barrel racer Acey Pinkston took her first step toward back-to-back College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) titles Tuesday. She was the first athlete to compete when action began at 7 a.m. Riding her 13-year-old gelding that she calls “Bullet”, the Weatherford College senior stopped the clock in 13.62 seconds. The closest any other cowgirl could come to her time was 13.77 seconds by Devin Young of Texas A&M University.
Pinkston started last year’s CNFR by winning the first round. After starting 2026 in the same way, she’s a step closer to a repeat title. She is ranked 23rd in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and is on a quest to qualify for her first National Finals Rodeo.
A couple of business administration student athletes from Northwestern Oklahoma State University dominated the first round of steer wrestling. Sophomore Tydon Tsosie, who is a former Indian National Finals Rodeo champion from New Mexico, took first place with a time of 3.7 seconds. His teammate Emmett Edler, a graduate student from Iowa, was second with 3.8. Both rode Edler’s horse named D1.
In just its second year fielding a rodeo team, North Dakota’s Bismarck State College is making their presence known in Casper with six qualifiers in seven events. Recent graduate Tyler Hansen won the first round of tie-down roping with a time of 8.4 seconds. His freshman teammate and younger brother, Kale Hansen, finished seventh. Both brothers study Instrumentation and Control Technology. Another teammate, Parker Sandstrom tied for third in round one of steer wrestling. A fourth, T. J. Andrews, is sitting sixth overall in ba****ck riding.
The goat tying action was fast and furious with two runs under six seconds. University of Wyoming junior Josie Mousel was the round winner with a time of 5.8 seconds. The ag communications major’s her best time at last year’s CNFR was 5.7. Lundberg, a freshman from California wearing the purple vest of Tarleton State University (Texas), placed second with a time of 5.9. The 2023 National High School Goat Tying Champion is majoring in biomedical science and has future plans to attend medical school.
The fastest time of round one in team roping was 5.0 seconds by Walker Smith of Sam Houston State University and Cade Sandstrom of Southwest Texas College. The freshmen are both majoring business.
Round two for the more than 425 college rodeo athletes from 12 geographic regions competing here this year ends during the day on Tuesday. The first performance starts Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. where round three begins.
Round three continues at evening performances Wednesday through Thursday. The top 12 cumulative scores or times advance to Championship Saturday to vie for national championships.



CASPER, Wyo.---The following are results from the College National Finals Rodeo, June 15, 2026, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Complete results are available at www.cnfr.com.

First Round winners:

Barrel Racing: 1, Acey Pinkston, Weatherford College, 13.62 seconds. 2, Devin Young, Texas A&M University, 13.77. 3, (tie) Anneliese McCurry, Montana State University, and Addison Morgan, Texas Tech University, 13.89 each. 5, Lauryn Motley, Sam Houston State University, 13.99. 6, (tie) Piper Cordes, Montana State University, and Brylee Grubb, Gillette College, 14.00 each. 8, Raegan Chance, Northwest Mississippi Community College, 14.01.

Tie-down Roping: 1, Tyler Hansen, Bismarck State College, 8.4 seconds. 2, Clint Southworth, University of Tennessee-Martin, 8.8. 3, Dalton Porch, Tarleton State University, 9.0. 4, Cort Boyd, Southwest Texas College, 9.3. 5, Coleman Canton, Southwest Texas College, 9.9. 6, Jake Deveraux, University of Montana Western, 10.1. 7, Kale Hansen, Bismarck State College, 10.2. 8, (tie) Ryan Wells, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, and Blake Carter, Southeast Oklahoma State University, 10.4 each.

Steer Wrestling: 1, Tyson Tsosie, Northwestern Oklahoma State University, 3.7 seconds. 2, Emmett Edler, Northwest Oklahoma State University, 3.8. 3, (tie) Parker Sandstrom, Bismarck State College, and Andrew Morian, Clarendon College, 3.9 each. 5, (tie) Ryder Gaasch, Montana State University, and Sam Shofner, Hill College, 4.2. 7, Trey Greenhalgh, Snow College, 4.6. 8, (tie) Dalton Porch, Tarleton State University; Hadley White, Texas Tech University; and Clay Tom Hurt, Sam Houston State University, 4.9.

Goat Tying: 1, Josie Mousel, University of Wyoming, 5.8 seconds. 2, Faith Lundberg, Tarleton State University, 5.9. 3, Alyssa Clark, Sam Houston State University, 6.0. 4, (tie) Michaela McCormick, Montana State University; Quincy Morgan Montoya, New Mexico Junior College; Justise Jones, Colorado Mesa University; Alyssa Gary, McNeese State University; 6.1. 8, (tie) Faith Marshall, Montana State University and Addyson Derr, Missouri Valley College, 6.2.

Team Roping: 1, Walker Smith, Sam Houston State University and Cade Sandstrom, Southwest Texas Junior College, 5.0 seconds. 2, Heston Harrison, Southwest Oklahoma State University and Nick Lovins, Garden City Community College, 5.2. 3, Hunter Helton and Jeryn Ellerd, Weatherford College, 5.7. 4, (tie) Jett Stewart, and Belden Cox, Weatherford College; and Marcus Marriott, Blue Mountain Community College and Sam Saunders, Treasure Valley Community College, 6.0. 6, Wyatt Jensen and Preston Bird, Montana State University, 6.3. 7, (tie) Denton Parish and Brock Borkman, Weatherford College, 6.4. 7, Blake Van Stavern and Dean Sherbo, Allan Hancock College, 6.4.

Second Round Leaders:

Ba****ck Riding: 1, Carson Hildre, Clarendon College, 78.75 points. 2, Jason Wilson, Missouri Valley College, 77.75. 3, (tie) Clay Greenslade, Tarleton State University, and T.J. Andrews, Bismarck State College, 77.

Breakaway Roping: 1, Sierra Hilgenkamp, Sheridan College, 1.9 seconds. 2, Quincy Morgan-Montoya, New Mexico Junior College, 2.0. 3, Madison Scott, Fort Hays State University, 2.2. 4, (tie) Ivy Bone, University of West Alabama and Ellie Thurgood, College of Southern Idaho, 2.3 each.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Dane McPhall, Fort Scott Community College, 81.5 points. 2,, Bryett Larsen, Western Texas College, 79.75. 3, Brody Froelich, Dickinson State University, 79. 4, Colby Smith, Clarendon College, 78.25.

Bull Riding: (two rides) 1, Mossy Waite, Treasure Valley Community College, 80.25. 2, Brock Cooper, Treasure Valley Community College, 71.25.

Slack #1 is said and done, and we have more champions to celebrate. Great job to our timed event athletes on their impressive start to . Rest up for tomorrow's doubleheader with Slack #2 starting at 7 a.m. and the start of Round 3 with Performance #1... 12 short hours later! Let's make a day out of it, shall we?😉

Thank you Union, Oregon...30+ years of announcing the Eastern Oregon Livestock Show in the books.

This year was big, double the prize money, more than 500 contestants...Photographer Blake Monroe captured multiple images of the weekend.

Here are the final results courtesy of the PRCA.

https://prorodeo.com/result/2026/eastern-oregon-livestock-show/18145?resultsTab=text

https://prorodeo.com/result/2026/eastern-oregon-livestock-show-breakaway/18456?resultsTab=text

PBR Champion John Crimber is listed now as #7 in the PRCA.

Over the weekend he rode four bulls and won 1st four times…he was 88.5 in Gladewater, TX, 89.5 at the Xtreme and again at the rodeo in Weatherford, and 92.5 in Woodward, OK.

That all added up to more than $28,000!

Star Bull rider John Crimber continues to rocket up PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings.

Read more here --> https://prorodeo.co/4ejoDTE

My next stop…the CNFR!

The first set of champions has been crowned! Congratulations to our Mutton Bustin’ Champs🥇

Bulls Broncs & Breakaway Kick Off College National Finals Rodeo

CASPER, Wyo. (June 14, 2026) --- The College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) began its 2026 edition with two sessions of Bulls, Broncs & Breakaway on Sunday, June 14.
Athletes in the ba****ck, saddle bronc, bull riding and breakaway roping all made their first appearance in the arena at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper.
The afternoon started strong when ba****ck rider Kooper Heimburg, a recent Missouri Valley College graduate with an ag business degree was the first athlete to compete. He rode Summit Pro Rodeo’s horse Lakota Park for 86.5 points. The 2025 CNFR Reserve Champion Ba****ck Rider took a commanding lead in the round. The closest any other cowboy could get to Heimburg’s mark was 84 points by Toby Deudney of Odessa (Texas) College. If Heimburg’s momentum continues, he could be vying for a national title on Saturday.
The highest score of the day came in saddle bronc riding where Tagg Bond of Clarendon (Texas) College Scored 86 points on Championship Pro Rodeo’s horse Bronchitis to win the saddle bronc riding. Jack Ford of McNeese State University in Louisiana scored 83 points for second place.
Bull rider Gavin Knutson of University of Montana Western took round one in bull riding with an 82-point ride on Championship Pro Rodeo’s bull named Homer. Knutson graduated this month with a business degree. Eight bull riders made a qualified ride in round one.
Just two-tenths of a second separated round one’s top eight breakaway ropers. First place was split four ways between Emma Ohm of Black Hills State University (South Dakota), Brooke Bruner of Clarendon College, Ruby Espy of Missouri Valley College and Alissa Erickson of Cisco (Texas) College. The four cowgirls each represented a different region and they all stopped the clock in 2.1 seconds.
A total of 427 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association athletes from colleges and universities across the country have gathered in Wyoming for the weeklong CNFR which culminates with the crowning of the 2026 national champions on Saturday, June 20.
Top athletes from 12 geographic regions compete in three rounds of competition. The top 12 cumulative scores or times advance to Championship Saturday to vie for national championships.
The first round of competition in the other five events will be held on Monday; then the second round of competition will finish on Tuesday afternoon. Round three is spread over four rodeo performances beginning Tuesday evening and running through Friday evening.


CASPER, Wyo.---The following are results from the first round of the College National Finals Rodeo, June 14, 2026, courtesy of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association. Complete results are available at www.cnfr.com.

Ba****ck Riding: 1, Kooper Heimburg, Missouri Valley College, 86.75 points. 2, Toby Deuddney, Odessa College, 84.0. 3, Wyatt Arneke, Clarendon College, 82. 4, (tie) Rhett Robbins, Garden City Community College, and Colton Farrow, University of Wyoming, 81.5 each. 6, (tie) Taylon Carmody, Tarleton State University, and Collin Roland, Missouri Valley College, 81.25. 8, Carson Hildre, Clarendon College, 79.5.

Breakaway Roping: 1, (tie) Emma Ohm, Black Hills State University; Brooke Bruner, Clarendon College; Ruby Espey, Missouri Valley College; and Alissa Erickson, Cisco College, 2.1 seconds each. 5, Ella Begger, College of Southern Idaho, 2.2. 6, (tie) Hailey Burger, Montana State University, 2.3; Elizabeth Miranda, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo; and Brynn Leavitt, Weber State University, 2.3.

Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Tagg Bond, Clarendon College, 86.0 Points. 2, Jack Ford, McNeese State University, 83.0. 3, Waitley Sharon, Sheridan, Tarleton State University, 82.75. 4, Christopher Nelson, Sheridan College, 81.75. 5, Dane McPhall, Fort Scott Community College, 79.75. 6, Bryett Larsen, Western Texas College, 79. 7, Clay Greenslade, Tarleton State University, 79.25. 8, Matt Cicisly, Cal Poly State University – San Luis Obispo, 78.75.

Bull Riding: 1, Gavin Knutson, University of Montana Western, 82.0. 2, Dakota Smith, Northwest Mississippi Community College, 80.5. 3, Hayden Welsh, Odessa College, 79.75. 4, Wyatt Davis, Mid Plains Community College, 78.75. 5, Tucker Taylor, Treasure Valley Community College, 76.5. 6, Sam Berti, Wharton County Junior College, 78.5. 7, Brock Cooper, Treasure Valley Community College, 76.5. 8, Cade Griego, New Mexico State University, 74.5.

Bulls, Broncs & Breakaway Winners for Round 1 were determined this afternoon! Contestants, enjoy your win, and we will see you and our very dedicated rodeo fans at 7 am tomorrow morning for more