American Contender Central Finals Advances Final Set of Competitors

The last of the three regional finals is complete for the American Rodeo and the field has been narrowed to the top 15 who will compete at the American Contender Finals April 11 in Arlington, Texas.

Laura Motley Lambert | Feb 16, 2025

Cole Elshere / Clay Guardipee/The American Rodeo

Making it to The American Rodeo is a dream for many contestants. Hundreds pay substantial entry fees to take their shot at a chance to win $1 million. Only 15 contestants actually get the opportunity to move on to Arlington, Texas with the final shot of being in the top five contenders.

The final set of talented cowboys and cowgirls has been determined in Tulsa, Oklahoma at the American Rodeo Central Region Contender Semi-finals. A weekend full of fast runs and high scores ended with the list of the top five in each event who will make the drive to Texas to compete with the best of the best.

Every event was packed with talent when it was finally narrowed down to the top 10 who competed in one final round to determine the top five. Finishing in the top five earns paychecks across the board regardless of entries or event:

1. $10,000
2. $5,500
3. $2,500
4. $1,500
5. $500

Bareback Riding

The lineup was full of multiple time National Finals Rodeo qualifiers and after all 10 horses were bucked, the current number 14 in the World Standings and former NFR qualifier, Jayco Roper was on top.

Roper scored 86 points for the win and the $10,000 paycheck. Mason Clements finished second with 84.75 points and was followed by Cole Reiner, R.C. Landingham and Weston Timerman.

Barrel Racing

Former World Champions, NFR Qualifiers and futurity stand-outs were all coming down the alley in the barrel race. To say it was tough is an understatement.

Greensboro, Ala. cowgirl and current Women's Professional Rodeo Association Rookie standings leader, Emma Parr smoked the competition by stopping the clock at 15.148 which was a full three tenths of a second faster than the number two lady, Jordan Driver.

Finishing out the top five were Tasha Welsh, Raelin Jurgens and Katelyn Scott. These five ladies will have to make one more run to see if they ultimately get the chance at $1 million.

Breakaway Roping

The ladies of the breakaway put on quite a show all weekend. With many times under two seconds, the competitors knew that the final round would be fast.

Kaydence Tindall stopped the clock at 2.07 seconds to take top honors for $10,000. Addison Kinser was shortly behind her at 2.16 for second.

Colorado raised cowgirl, Brooke Bruner who is in her first year of college made her way to the third spot with a clean 2.54 second run. Finishing out the top five was NFR qualifier Taylor Munsell and Wyoming raised Hadley Thompson.

Bull Riding

The bull riding hasn't filled at the other qualifiers so there were several spots available, but only five men rode in the final round and will advance.

Jacon Cariage had a big smile on his face when the last bull bucked. The bull was named Night Trip and the pair put together a great trip for 86.75 points and the win.

Lane Vaughn and Mason Taylor tied at 85 points to both earn $4,000 in their bank accounts. Completing the qualified rides and the men advancing were Kase Hitt and familiar name, Ky Hamilton.

Team Roping

Just five teams had clean runs in the finals and that's all it took to fill those spots moving forward. Nelson Wyatt and Jonathan Torres roped their steer in 4.42 seconds for the win.

Jeff Flenniken and Buddy Hawkins teamed up for the competition and turned in a smoking 4.59 second run to earn the runner-up championship. The top five teams were then rounded out with Jet Toberer/Joe Mattern; Cory Kidd/Dustin Davis; and Jake Smith/Douglas Rich.

Tie-Down Roping

The price of admission was worth it if you only watched the tie-down ropers. Over the course of the weekend, the times were incredibly fast and the competition was tough. Each round was packed full of seven second runs on top of the leaderboard and it took a total on two of 16.79 to be in the top 10.

The final round literally came down to the wire with a tie for the fifth position being split by the faster time in the rounds. Ultimately, Lane Livingston won the tie-breaker and his 8.01-second time advanced him in the final position.

Taking top honors for the week was Dylan Hancock who set the pace early on in the final round of 7.3-seconds never to be bested. He leaves Tulsa $10,000 richer with an opportunity of a lifetime ahead.

The men in the middle were Kincade Henry, John Douch and Lucas Peres who all had to battle it out in the seven second range to have another chance.

Saddle Bronc Riding

Sprindale, Ark. rodeo fans had to be cheering loud for their 21-year-old saddle bronc rider, Skinny Parsons. Frontier Medicine teamed up with the young talent to earn 85.75 points and the win amongst many NFR qualifiers.

Speaking of NFR qualifiers, Brody Wells was hot on Parsons heels when he marked an 85.25 on Sundance Kid. Rusty Wright got paid for the third place position with his 84.75-point ride but did not earn an advancement as he had already secured a spot in Lexington at the East finals.

That allowed for Gus Gaillard to move up from sixth to fifth and punch a ticket to Arlington. Filling in the other spots were Ben Andersen and Cole Elshere to finalize the star-studded saddle bronc riding.

Steer Wrestling

Just like all the other events, the steer wrestling was like a who's who list. In the final round four of the five were all in the four second range.

Two-time NFR qualifier, Dalton Massey from Hermiston, Ore. showed off his talent once again by winning the final round with a 4.13-second run. While the $10,000 won't count toward his bid to another NFR qualification, the money will certainly help the cause.

Trace Harris was 4.49 to take home the reserve championship. Joining him in the top five were Marc Joiner, Bridger Anderson and Bridger Chambers.

Moving On

Fans can now look forward to the American Contender Tournament Finals in Arlington, Texas on April 11 as a pre-show to The American Rodeo. When that day is over, only five contenders will have stood the test of time to advance to the dirt on the final day when the actual American Rodeo takes place.

The World's Richest weekend of rodeo will host the finale April 12 at Globe Life Field. Riley Green with Ella Langely will provide the concert entertainment while the incredible talent of cowboys and cowgirls will battle it out for the incredible purse in what is dubbed as the Crown Jewel of Rodeo.