PRORODEO Media Guide - 2025

STEER WRESTLING

REBOUND EFFORT

The opening round of the 2024 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Teton Ridge could have morphed into a negative tone setter for J.D. Struxness. Instead, the Milan, Minn., steer wrestler flipped it into a positive turning point. Struxness bounces back to capture first steer wrestling gold buckle By Alex Riley

After failing to record a time during Round 1, the six-time NFR qualifier began mounting a steady comeback over the following nine nights, finishing with money earned in eight of the next nine runs, including a win in Round 4 and a trio of runner-up efforts during the final three goes. The end result - Struxness left the Thomas & Mack Center with his first PRCA World Championship. “The week started kind of down, missed a steer in the first round. From there on, just a battle to get back into the fight. Then we got back there, and it was a battle to where we could have an opportunity (in the tenth round),” Struxness said after the win. Coming into NFR, Struxness was fifth in the PRCA World Standings with a little more than $147,000 in winnings for the year. In Las Vegas, he accumulated $143,805 during those eight runs, along with the final money-earning spot in the aggregate. It turned out to be just enough to edge Will Lummus for the gold buckle, with the Byhalia, Miss., cowboy finishing around $1,500 back in the race. Struxness credited his equine partner, Ty Erickson’s horse, Crush, for putting him in position to win. He also got help from hazer Matt Reeves and his horse, Kirk, allowing him to catch steers at crucial moments to keep himself in contention. He sealed the outcome in those final three goes, finishing tied for second in Rounds 8 and 9, while taking the runner-up spot outright in Round 10. Those three results alone paid more than $70,000. Struxness finished with an average time of 36 seconds on nine head, making him the lone cowboy to earn average money on nine head. After finishing no higher than fourth in the standings previously, the gold buckle ending, along with $309,220 in earnings for the season, is a surreal result that Struxness was having a difficult time processing in the moment. “It’s still settling in right now, still in the hustle n’ bustle. When we get a second to sit down and relax a little bit, I’m sure it will sink in, been waiting a while to hear that,” Struxness said.

26

World Champions