PRORODEO Sports News | January 24, 2025

GREAT FALLS, MONT.

RAM MONTANA CIRCUIT FINALS RODEO

Home Cooking

Haven Meged adds another Montana Circuit Finals title BY DAGIN RENCK Special to ProRodeo Sports News R eaching the pinnacle of PRORODEO is a grueling, relentless battle. It makes the second trek to the top that much harder. Haven Meged knows the feeling all too well. The tie down roper’s ascent was meteoric, capturing a PRCA World Title in his rookie campaign. PRORODEO Hall of Famer Joe Beaver was the last tie-down roper to complete the feat, claiming his first title back in 1985. Since his magical run in 2019, Meged’s pursuit for a second gold buckle has been persistent. The 26-year-old has notched six NFR qualifications in as many seasons, including three finishes in the top three of the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings over the past four seasons. However, it doesn’t ease the pressure for the soaring cowboy. “Last year when I came here it felt so easy and I had so much fun,” Meged said after winning Round 6 at the 2024 Wrangler NFR. “I’ve pressed way too much this year, beating myself from the start. I didn’t draw the best right off the bat, but I definitely let two slip away for good money, so I’m just trying to make sure to go out and have fun.” And despite Meged’s internal pressure to claim another title, it hasn’t slowed him from shining as one of the top cowboys in the Montana Circuit. The Miles City, Mont., native has notched four tie-down roping season titles in five seasons on the circuit. For Meged, it’s not something he takes lightly. “Oh, it’s great,” said the roper. “I grew up in the area, so it’s awesome to represent my home state while having success throughout the country.” The appearance marked his first since the 2024 Wrangler NFR in early December. Meged was unfazed, not missing a beat. The roper notched a second-place finish in Round 1 with an 8.7-second run. It was a sign of what was to come. The cowboy backed up his opening performance with another trip to the pay window, nabbing third place with a 10.6-second run. With one showing to go, Meged needed to be a second faster than fellow competitor James Ramirez to claim the average title. “I knew when I was backing in that I had to get after it,” the cowboy explained. He never flinched. Instead, he made it look easy. Meged dazzled with the fastest time of the weekend, earning a 7.6-second run to notch the go-round win and his second-career circuit finals title. “I was fortunate to have three pretty good calves, and my horse was running well,” said Meged in his self-assessment. “To be honest, some things fell my way. We had a good set of ropers up there and it was pretty tough.” The tie-down roper landed atop the leaderboard with 26.9 seconds on three head, netting the $4,000 top prize and a spot at the NFR Open this summer in Colorado Springs, Colo. Over the three-day event, Meged amassed $11,001. “It always means a little more to win in front of the home crowd with plenty of friends and family in attendance,” said Meged. “I always enjoy getting to go home. I spend a lot of time hanging out with my high school buddies and catching up with the people I grew up rodeoing with.”

TOP SCORES

Lockwood

Kruse

TOP MONEY EARNER Jake Lockwood ($11,367, bull riding) Jesse Kruse ($11,367, saddle bronc riding) BAREBACK RIDING 1. Trevar McAllister .......... 242 pts. on 3 2. Tristan Hansen ............................ 235 3. Trevor Kay ............................... 233.5 STEER WRESTLING 1. Bridger Chambers ....... 16.4 sec. on 3 2. Quentin Wheeler ........................ 16.8 3. Ty Erickson ................................ 19.2 TEAM ROPING 1. B. Tryan/C. Smith .......... 9.6 sec. on 2 2. D. Bird/S. Sporer ....................... 11.2 3. D. Parker/R. Zurcher .................. 13.1 SADDLE BRONC RIDING 1. Jesse Kruse .............. 244.5 pts. on 3 2. Josh Davison .............................. 239 3. Liam Pauley ............................. 232.5 TIE-DOWN ROPING 1. Haven Meged .............. 26.9 sec. on 3 2. James Ramirez .......................... 29.7 3. Jade Gardner ............................. 32.8 BARREL RACING 1. Abigail Knight ........... 39.41 sec. on 3 2. Tayla Moeykens ....................... 39.89 3. Lindsay Kruse .......................... 40.09 BULL RIDING 1. Jake Lockwood ......... 258.5 pts. on 3 2. Cole Wagner .................... 163.5 on 2 3. Kobe Whitford .............................. 89

Complete results/Page 47

Clay Guardipee photo Tie-down roper Haven Meged locked up the average title at the RAM Montana Circuit Finals Rodeo with 26.9 seconds on three head.

ProRodeo Sports News 1/24/2025

ProRodeo Sports News 1/24/2025

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