PRCA and WPRA World Champions Crowned in Round 10 of the National Finals Rodeo

Dreams have been realized for a select few NFR cowboys and cowgirls in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Thomas and Mack Center. The World Champions have been crowned.

Kassie Mowry / Hillary Maybery for Rodeo On SI

This is the culmination of a lifetime of work that for some came down to one run. World Champions have been crowned for the 2024 season of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association and the Women's Professional Rodeo Association.

The coveted gold buckles have been placed in their hands and they have raised them above their heads with so many emotions flowing through their bodies. It is a feeling that not many will ever experience.

Bareback Riding

The winner of the average is also the new 2024 World Champion PRCA World Champion bareback rider. The man from Altamont, Utah Dean Thompson is taking home both titles.

Thompson finished off his second trip to the National Finals Rodeo with an 88.5 point ride on J Bar J's Straight Stick. The ride was worth a second place finish and a paycheck of $26,624.

With a total of 854.5 points on ten head, Thompson took the win by just one point. That one point was worth $86,391.31. On the night Thompson earned $113,015 and two very special buckles.

"I got married just a bit ago and I just lost all my hesitation. I decided to not worry about the end results and just go do my job," Thompson said of winning the average. Apparently it worked well for winning a world title as well.

Steer Wrestling

The steer wrestling was a battle right to the last steer. In the end, Cash Robb, at his first NFR would be the average champion. By just a mere one tenth of a second, Robb bested Will Lummus in the average. Robb was 43.1 seconds while Will Lummus was 43.2 seconds.

Robb ends the year ranked at No. 3 in the World with $301,671 in earnings. Not bad for a 21-year-old at his first NFR.

At the end of 10 rounds though, Minnesota will have a new World Champion coming home. J.D. Struxness from Milan, Minn. is your new 2024 World Champion. By a very small margin of just $1,507, Struxness edged out Lummus for the title.

That one single tenth of a second in the average literally cost Lummus that coveted gold buckle. So, not only did it come down to just one run, it literally come down to a tenth of a second.

Team Roping

Talk about some stress, the team roping will give it to fans and competitors alike. It seems like very single year it comes down to a single run and it was true again this year.

The heartbreak hotel was the place for a few of the teams for sure in Round No. 10. Dreams were realized for a few teams though. When Clint Summers and Jake Long left for the NFR they had a goal in mind - to win the average and tonight they will load up and go home with that buckle.

"You know this was our goal so this is pretty special. Jake told me when we left that he had never won it and that was the goal. This is the second most coveted buckle in the industry and we just won it," Summers said.

When it came to the World Championship, Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp are now back-to-back title holders. It surely did not come easy and they had to hold their breath a few times in Round No. 10 but it doesn't matter how it came about, they are the returning World Champions and have the buckles to prove it.

Saddle Bronc Riding

Rank horses, great rides and high scores define Round No. 10 of the NFR saddle bronc riding.

After 10 rounds of rank horses, Wyatt Casper is the 2024 average champion with 853 points. He was three points ahead of Damian Brennan for the title.

"This is an awesome feeling. This is a great group of guys that come out here and to finally best them is really a dream come true," Casper said of winning the average.

A much deserved World Championship will be headed back to Beaver, Utah yet again but this time with Ryder Wright. He has earned his third World title. After winning an astounding $479,957, Wright has also set a new single season earnings record. The previous record was held by Zeke Thurston in 2023 with $456,356.

Tie-Down Roping

It was a National Finals to remember for the Denton, Texas tie-down roper. Not only is he the 2023 World Champion, but he now can tout that he is a two-time consecutive World Champion. Riley Webb won nearly everything he could win.

Webb tied his 10 calves in a total of 79.7 seconds which was almost 11 full seconds ahead of second place finisher Shane Hanchey who finished in 90.5 seconds.

For the World title, Webb finished the year with an incredible $475,214.04 which breaks his record that he set last year for the most money won in a year of $452,852.

"I want to give my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ all the credit.  I wouldn't be here without Him.  My family gets a lot of credit as well. It was kind of a slow year, I came in behind but I was able to execute and get it done.  My horse has been awesome.  I grew up watching and wanting to win a gold buckleso, getting to have two in three years is awesome."

Webb finished second in the Top Gun standings for the most money won at the NFR. All together the 21-year-old man collected $258,307 in just 10 days.

Barrel Racing

It truly came down to a one head race in the barrel racing. Both Kassie Mowry and Hailey Kinsel had a chance to win the World title. Whoever finished better in the round would be the champion.

With so many people cheering for her after a heartbreaking year, Kassie Mowry is your 2024 World Champion WPRA World Champion Barrel racer. She won second in Round No. 10 with a 13.59 second run.

Mowry also ended up fourth place in the average race despite tipping two barrels in the 10 rounds.

Only one barrel racer completed the pattern clean for all 10 rounds and in doing so, she also earned the title for breaking the 10 round record. The total of 136.18 seconds earned Andrea Busby an average check worth $86,391. Jordon Briggs previously held the record with a 136.83 seconds on 10 from 2021.

Mowry wasn't finished earning titles. She also won the RAM Top Gun award for the most money won at the NFR. When she checks her bank account on Monday morning she will have $295,526.02 deposited over the 10 days worth of work.

Bull Riding

The World title was already decided before Round No. 10 even started. Josh Frost earned his first World Championship in his fifth trip to the NFR. At 29 years old, Frost has earned $490,495.63 to win the world title.

Frost is also the average championship by qualifying on seven bulls when the next man closest only rode five. In total, Frost earned 580 points and came very close to riding his eighth bull in Round No. 10. Although, it would not have affected any of the standings, Frost put forth his best effort.

All Around

The All-Around race hasn't been this close in several years, nor have their been this many contenders. It truly all came down to the last round and the last run.

By the skin of his teeth literally, Shad Mayfield is the 2024 World Champion PRCA All-Around Champion. He won the title by $675. That's incredible when you consider that we are talking about totals that exceed $335,000.

Congratulation to all of the newly crowned World Champions!