ProRodeo Sports News - Dec. 20, 2019

Meged edged Shane Hanchey by $1,181 for the world championship and became the first cowboy fromMontana to claim a PRCA tie-down roping world title. The 2019 PRCA | Resistol Rookie of the Year in tie-down roping, Meged is the first rookie to win a tie-down roping gold buckle since Joe Beaver in 1985. Meged also became just the fourth person in ProRodeo history to win a college championship and a world championship in the same year, following in the footsteps of Ty Murray (all-around, 1988); Matt Austin (bull riding, 2005); and Taos Muncy (saddle bronc riding, 2007). “It’s a dream come true,” Meged said. In bareback riding, Clayton Biglow made his fourth trip to the Wrangler NFR one he will never forget. The Clements, Calif., cowboy won five rounds at the Wrangler NFR, including winning Round 10 with an NFR record-tying ride of 93 points on Northcott Macza’s Stevie Knicks. Biglow also won the average and earned $243,891 at the Wrangler NFR. That total was the most money earned of any contestant at the Wrangler NFR – not counting ground money – and earned him the RAM Top Gun Award. Additionally, Biglow set a bareback riding record for most money won in a regular season counting the Wrangler NFR at $425,843. The record was $374,272 by TimO’Connell in 2016. “This is crazy,” said Biglow, 23. In the chase to win the saddle bronc riding world title, Zeke Thurston returned to his throne. The Canadian cowboy who won a world

edge Cody Snow ($256,938). Smith – with heeling partner Jade Corkill, who finished fourth in the world standings – placed in six rounds, including winning Round 2 to clinch his world title. “I really want to thank Jade for heeling steers, and there were ones only he could heel this week,” Smith said. “It means a lot to me (to win another gold buckle) – it comes in order of faith for me, then my family and this is No. 3, and it’s all I think about.” While Smith was enjoying gold buckle No. 2, heeler WesleyThorp left theThomas &Mack Center as a world champion for the first time. TheThrockmorton, Texas, cowboy – roping with header Snow, who finished second in the world standings – earned $249,181 to finish atop the world standings. “It means that these are the guys I looked up to the most growing up and I put on a pedestal still as heroes,” Thorp said. “It’s like they were on a different playing field and even today they are guys I look up to, and to be one of them is amazing and a dream come true.” For the second consecutive year, barrel racer Hailey Kinsel finished the season as a world champion. Kinsel earned $290,020 to finish atop the world standings. Ivy Conrado-Saebens, who won the average, was second with $264,673. “I’ve dreamed of this, and it’s awesome,” Kinsel said. “I’m floored, and it’s very emotional.” The 10-day attendance for the Wrangler NFR was 168,289.

championship in 2016 was celebrating again in 2019. Thurston, of Big Valley, Alberta, captured the world championship record, breaking the mark of $284,938 set by Ryder Wright in 2017. “Honestly, I don’t know what to say,” Thurston said. “I wanted this second one worse than I wanted the first one.” As for steer wrestling, Ty Erickson finally took care of some unfinished business. The Helena, Mont., cowboy who came into the Wrangler NFR three of the last four years as the event leader earned $234,491 for the season to win the world championship. “Oh, man, that’s better than I expected,” Erickson said. History repeated itself for team roping header Clay Smith, and that was a good thing. Smith won his second gold buckle in a row, earning $268,820 to by earning $347,056, another season-total

Bareback rider Clayton Biglow split the win in Round 6 aboard Pickett Pro Rodeo’s Freckled Frog. The 88.5-point ride netted Biglow $20,872 and helped contribute to his world title.

PRCA ProRodeo photo by James Phifer

ProRodeo Sports News 12/20/2019

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