Ellensburg Win Helps Veteran Tie-Down Roper Stay on Right Side of NFR Cutline

Hunter Herrin’s third victory of the season came at the right time as the 13-time NFR qualifier picked up some much-needed earnings to remain in the top 15 of the World Standings.

If he's going to reach his 14th NFR, tie-down roper Hunter Herrin will need to continue adding on to his earnings and avoid missing the cutline. A win in Ellensburg over the weekend certainly helped. / Click Thompson/For PRCA

Hunter Herrin needed something to go his way. 

For much of the year, the veteran tie-down roper has put together solid runs. He’s earned a fair amount of money, close to $89,000 coming into the Labor Day weekend. 

But, with the regular season just a few weeks from wrapping up, the Apache, Okla., cowboy finds himself flirting with the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo cutline in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Standings. He was sitting 14th as of Monday’s rankings. 

As if on cue, Herrin came into the Ellensburg (Wash.) Rodeo and did what he does best at the event – win. 

For the third time in his career, Herrin left Ellensburg as the average champion, finishing his three runs in 26.4 seconds to secure the title. He previously won the rodeo in 2014 and 2022. 

“Probably the biggest thing is I drew some user-friendly cattle,” Herrin said of his success. “Today (in the finals), I had a calf that Riley Webb won the second round on, so I knew she was really good. But we didn’t need to try to go faster than Riley. He went 7.5 on her, so we just needed to get a good start and make the best run I could and it worked out.”

After placing third in the first-go, Herrin missed round money on his second run, finishing a tenth-of-a-second away from tying for eighth. 

While he didn't pick up additional earnings, his times of 8.5 and 9.1 seconds set him up for a chance to finish strong. He did just that by going for 8.8 seconds in the short-go to win the round. His 26.4-second aggregate total was slightly ahead of Seth Hall at 26.7. 

Hunter Herrin's fifth straight and 14th overall NFR is back in his sights after a win in Ellensburg! pic.twitter.com/K2CysEpTWf

— The Cowboy Channel (@Cowboy_Channel) September 2, 2024

The outcome marks just Herrin’s third rodeo championship of the 2024 season, and his first at an event that wasn’t a one head competition. 

More important than the title was the prize money. In total, Ellensburg paid out $9,188, which will go a long way towards keeping him in the top 15. Herrin was less than $1,000 ahead of Marcos Costa at 15th coming into the weekend, but more than $10,000 back of Cole Clemons for 13th place. 

Like any seasoned pro, he’s already got the next few weeks mapped out, starting with runs at places like Lewiston, Idaho, and Puyallup, Wash., this week. Then, it’s Pendleton, Ore., and Albuquerque, N.M., before a short period off. After that, it’s a sprint to the finish with stops across the country to try and keep adding on to his ledger. 

Hunter Herrin had the quickest hands in Ellensburg to secure the Tie-Down Roping Champion title!

Posted by Ellensburg Rodeo on Monday, September 2, 2024

Ellensburg was a good launch point for the final few weeks of the regular season. But if there’s anything the 13-time NFR qualifier knows, it's that there’s still a long way to go, even as time winds down. 

“Today helped for sure. It’s still so packed in there and so tight. If I had to guess there’s five or six guys battling for two, maybe three spots,” Herrin said. “So we’ll just keep pushing and fighting and then at the end of the month we’ll see what we can do with it.”

Other results from the Ellensburg Rodeo

Bareback rider Jess Pope won the average title with 173.5 points on two head. In total, he walked away with $9,233. 

Dakota Eldridge earned the steer wrestling aggregate title, going for 13.3 seconds on three head. He secured $10,993 in total earnings. 

The team roping duo of Brenten Hall and Kaden Profili finished their three runs in a combined 16.6 seconds to win the average and take home $9,113 each. 

Wyatt Casper won the saddle bronc average title with 177 points on two head. He claimed $9,585 in total prize money. 

Barrel racer Jodee Miller finished her three runs in a combined 51.54 seconds to finish atop the average. She earned $7,069 in all. 

Breakaway roper Josie Conner won the average title in 7.8 seconds on three head. She secured $10,311 in overall prize money.

Maverick Smith was the only bull rider to cover both animals he faced, finishing at 174.5 points on two head to earn a total of $11,118.

The all-around championship went to Seth Hall as he claimed $8,432 in combined earnings between tie-down and team roping.