Big Finish in Sioux Falls Carries Team Roper Back to NFR After Nearly a Decade

Partnering with Andrew Ward, the duo overcame a sizable deficit on the last weekend of the regular season to reach ProRodeo’s culminating event together.

Kollin VonAhn was well outside of the top 15 prior to the Governor's Cup but came back to win the event and finish in the top 10, securing his place at the 2024 NFR. / Clay Guardipee/For PRCA

Last fall, Kollin VonAhn’s eyes were glued to his television as the CINCH Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, S.D., unfolded on the Cowboy Channel.

VonAhn is a veteran in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association, with a team roping World Title to his credit along with three Wrangler National Finals average buckles. 

But all those honors came nearly a decade ago and in the time since, ProRodeo has seen drastic changes in everything from available prize money to rodeo formats. 

“I sat at home and watched it and I was like, ‘Golly, man, them tour rodeos are so important and that’s such a huge rodeo, a guy’s got to be in that thing, no matter what. I don’t care if you’re fighting for a world title or whatever, you’ve got to be a part of that,’” VonAhn said. 

A year later, the Blanchard, Okla., cowboy has first-hand experience with how game-changing the event can be. 

Coming into the final week of the PRCA’s regular season, VonAhn was sitting 21st in the heeler World Standings, putting him on the outside of making a return to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. His partner, Andrew Ward, was sitting 12th among headers, hoping to hang on for a return trip to Las Vegas. 

One weekend in Sioux Falls changed the entire season for both men as the CINCH Playoff Series Championship victory put $30,000 in each of their ledgers and vaulted them into the top 10 of their respective standings.

After holding on to advance through the first three rounds, the duo posted their best time of the rodeo with a 3.9-second run in the finals to secure the outcome. Ward is now sixth among headers with a little more than $136,500 in earnings, while VonAhn is eighth in the heeler standings with about $125,300 for the year. 

That heel shot just took Kollin VonAhn from No. 21 to inside the Top 15!! He and Andrew Ward win the Governor's Cup! pic.twitter.com/mqT55eZWxl

— The Cowboy Channel (@Cowboy_Channel) September 29, 2024

VonAhn started his PRCA career in 2006, winning his World Championship in 2015. By comparison, Ward was just a second-year pro (2013) when VonAhn last competed at NFR. 

Both men hail from Oklahoma and became friends over the years. Even though VonAhn wasn’t roping in the PRCA, he was still competing, often partnering with Ward at jackpot events. 

When VonAhn decided to step back into ProRodeo on a full-time basis this season, Ward was his first call as he was looking for a new partner. For Ward, there was no hesitation. 

“We had always talked about roping and it just lined up this year. He’s a great heeler and it doesn’t scare you to sign up with a veteran that’s already been there and done that,” Ward said. “I don’t feel like there was any knocking the rust off. It wasn’t like he went home and got a job and hadn’t roped. He made a living with his rope, he just wasn’t rodeoing as much.”

VonAhn admits that his return to the PRCA has been a bit eye-opening. Getting into NFR 10 years ago meant a cowboy generally had to finish the season with around $60,000 or more in earnings. Now, everyone in the top 15 has more than $100,000 going into rodeo’s culminating event. 

Because he didn’t get into the bigger winter rodeos to start the season, VonAhn noted that he and Ward came into the year with a focus on reaching the CINCH finale, knowing the payday might be crucial to their chances of securing a spot together. That focus turned out to be the right call. 

“When he got into Sioux Falls and you’re at the end of the year, it’s like all of us think, ‘Well, all we’ve got to do is catch the next one and we’ll be in,’” Ward said. “I honestly believed that we just needed to go do our job in Sioux Falls. We waited until we only had one chance left – but I really believed we could do it and get in by just having a good rodeo.”

Now, the pair are bound for Las Vegas together. Ward is making his fifth-straight appearance having won an NFR average title in 2021. VonAhn’s sixth trip will be his first since his 2015 World Title. 

For VonAhn, the return to Thomas and Mack Arena has been a whirlwind but fun journey, one he’s certainly planning to savor. 

“Probably the older I get, the more grateful I am for the way things turn out,” VonAhn said. “It’s a great deal, great opportunity. Either way, I’m just going to enjoy the experience of it. If it goes good, great. If it goes bad, great. I’m going to enjoy the experience of it.”