PRORODEO Sports News - July 2, 2026

BY TED HARBIN, SPECIAL TO PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS NOAH LEE CONTINUES ROOKIE TEAR WINS FRED BERGER MEMORIAL XBULLS

E ighteen-year-old Noah Lee is getting a crash course in PRORODEO’s summer run. Lee began Wednesday, June 17 in Bismarck, N.D., where he won the inaugural Fred Berger Memorial Xtreme Bulls title. The celebration was short lived, as he was scheduled to compete at the Reno (Nev.) Xtreme Bulls the next day. The leader in the race for Resistol Bull Riding Rook ie of the Year added $9,431 to his bank account and moved his season earnings to $134,682, where he is third in the PRCA | Bill Fick Ford World Standings. He’s also the No. 1 man in the Rank 45 Xtreme Bulls standings. “The X Bulls pays good,” said Lee of Mineral Wells, Texas. “You always know you’re going to make a good check if you do good at an X Bulls. That’s a big motiva tor for sure.” Every incentive seems to be working for the young cowboy, who had 32 qualified rides in 47 attempts as of June 21. Riding at 68 percent will also help bull riders get paid. Nobody was more consistent in Bismarck than Lee, who marked 83.5 points in both rounds. He finished seventh in the opening round on Dakota Rodeo’s Uno, worth $758, then was fourth on Dakota’s Right Turn Clyde to cash in for $2,986. The big money ($5,687) came in the average. Lee rode two bulls for a cumulative score of 167 points and was just one of two cowboys to have a score on two. Tristan Mize of Bryan, Texas, was just a half-point behind in the aggregate standings. Like any newcomer to the game, Lee doesn’t have a lot of history on the bulls he attempts to ride. Therefore, he utilizes technique and skills to overcome that challenge. “Most of the bulls I get on, I haven’t been on before,” he said. “It’s really just you and the bull most of the time. That’s it. It’s better to keep it that way. You’re not

competing against other people. You’re just competing against the bull, and that’s how it should be.” This is the first year for the event, and it memorializes Fred Berger, who was inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame last week. He is the brother of Chad Berger, who is part of Dakota Rodeo. Chad, Fred and their father, Joe, have now been inducted into the North Dakota museum. “It was a fun little deal,” Lee said. “I liked it, a bull rider’s bull riding.” There were 13 qualified rides in the opening round, then just four managed the eight-second whistle the next day. “The bull riding was outstanding,” said Andy Stew art, the event’s announcer. “On Night No. 2, they really turned up the heat in the bullpen, but we saw some very special rides.” Cullen Telfer of Plant City, Fla., won the first round with an 89-point ride on Dakota’s Trump Train. Anoth er top rookie, 2026 PBR World Champion John Crim ber, then dominated the second round with a 90-point marking on Rafter G Rodeo’s Rodeo Vegas – Crimber finished third overall and earned an event-best $9,810. Lee, though, maintained his steady pace to take the title and position himself to make his first qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. “I don’t hold myself to a very high count, and I do it for a reason,” he said. “I like to keep my self-esteem low and my humbleness high.” How does he do that? With a focus on the things that matter. “Staying healthy is the key and staying consistent,” Lee said. “Just don’t let the little things get you down. Keep the good things up and listen to your body.”

42 PRORODEO SPORTS NEWS DIGITAL MAGAZINE July 2, 2026