History is Meged During Round 7 of the NFR

Haven Meged highlights Round 7 of the NFR, after taking the Thomas & Mack arena record from Trevor Brazile.
Photo by Hillary Maybery for SI Rodeo Daily

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge, kicked off with a heart-pounding Round 7 performance. 

After the athletes had an unusual Round 6 performance this morning, the athletes didn't have much time to regroup before heading back to the Thomas & Mack arena for this evening's performance. 

Bareback Riding

Clayton Biglow awed the crowd with the last bareback ride of the night, busting out an 88-point ride on Beutler & Son Rodeo's "South Point's Happy Hour" to claim his second go-round win for this year's NFR. Kade Sonnier was close to his first NFR win with a second-place tie for 87 points. Tied with Sonnier, Tim O'Connell also got his first paycheck of the NFR. Keenan Hayes still remains atop the bareback riding world standings. 

Steer Wrestling

The go-round was split between Tyler Waguespack and Stan Branco, Branco with his second go-round win and Waguespack with his first for this year's NFR. Both cowboys wrestled their steers down in a solid 3.8-seconds. Current No. 1 steer wrestler, Dalton Massey, came up short in second with a 3.9-second run. Massey is still in the No. 1 spot after tonight's performance. 

Team Roping 

Jake Long and Clint Summers take their 4th win by way of a three-way tie. Joining the were teams Derrick Begay and Colter Todd, along with Clay Smith and Paden Bray. All of them roping outstanding 4.0-second runs. Long is still in the No. 1 spot among heelers, as well as, Summers still holds the No. 1 spot among the headers. 

Saddle Bronc Riding

Ryder Wright and Damian Brennan share the saddle bronc riding go-round win with 87-point rides. Wright rode Calgary Stampede's "EXOTIC WARRIOR" and Brennan rode Powder River's "Bet the Ranch " for the round wins. Sage Newman still remains at the top of the saddle bronc standings. 

Tie-Down Roping

Haven Meged ran away with the tie-down roping go-round title with an arena record of 6.4 seconds. Meged stood alone with the next best contestant Cory Solomon with an impressive 6.9-second run. Coming in third was Tuf Cooper and his 7.2-second run. Riley Webb still remains atop the No.1 tie-down roper. 

Barrel Racing

Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi takes home the Round 7 go-round win with a 13.47-second trip around the barrels. After breaking the single-season record last night, as well as, surpassing the $1,000,000 career earnings mark. Pozzi Tonozzi is having a historic season. Pozzi-Tonozzi remains in the No. 1  spot in the barrel racing world standings. 

Bull Riding

Ky Hamilton was the only bull rider during Round 7 of the NFR to cover his bull. Hamilton just last night was taken off on a stretcher and tonight he earned himself over $99,000. Hamilton won the round on Duane Kesler's "Alberta Prime Devil's Advocate" for 88 points. Hamilton now has a significant lead with $516,667 in earnings on the year. 

The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is in full swing now. Be sure to keep up with the action on the Cowboy Channel+.


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Kaleb Kistner
KALEB KISTNER

Kaleb Kistner is from New Braunfels, a small community nestled in the Texas Hill Country. There’s only one “s” in Braunfels! Growing up in Comal County, it was an annual tradition to attend the Comal County Fair and Rodeo. Down the road was the San Antonio Stockshow and Rodeo, that his grandparents would religiously take him to each year. Along with the annual rodeos, Kaleb was an active member in FFA throughout high school. Showing rabbits and pigs, assisting with steers and goats, and participating in leadership development events, Kaleb received a well-rounded, basic education in agriculture. On top of that, Kaleb earned his Eagle Scout with Boy Scouts of America. Kaleb has a strong work ethic and love for agriculture and the great outdoors. He hopes to be able to spread his knowledge and bring a better understanding of the Western way of life to those who may not understand. Kaleb has pursued a career in plumbing, continuing to achieve each possible license as quickly as he can. Kaleb has a beautiful fiancée Makayla and his sweet daughter Kinleigh. During his down time, he and his family enjoy going to their parents’ ranches to spend time with the family.