ProRodeo Sports News - February 3, 2023

BY TANNER BARTH & TRACY RENCK DENVER Jace Melvin kicks off 2023 with victory

Jace Melvin has competed in the ProRodeo ranks for nearly a decade and arguably his biggest win didn’t come until well over 700 runs into his career. In front of a sold-out crowd at the Denver Coliseum on Championship Sunday, the Fort Pierre, S.D., steer wrestler, made the most of the opportunity in front of him. Jaret Whitman and Curtis Cassidy were tied for the lead with a pair of 4.6-second runs with two cowboys left to go. That set the stage for Melvin to lay down a 4.2-second run and capture his first National Western Stock Show and Rodeo title. He said coming into the finals he knew it wouldn’t be easy but had to focus on the task at hand. “Everybody that made the short round here today can bulldog and is riding good horses,” said Melvin, a 2020Wrangler NFR qualifier. “Everybody made good runs, there was a couple hiccups here and there. I had a good steer drawn and I just tried to do the best I could. My hazers Tucker Allen, Tanner Milan, and Gavin Soileau were great.”

Over the course of four runs, Melvin earned $5,076 in the Mile High City. The payday moved him up 15th in the latest PRCA | RAMWorld Standings. He sees this as a win that can get his 2023 season pointed in the right direction headed into the key stretch of winter rodeos. “This really is awesome. You enter the winter rodeos and you’re just wanting to do the best you can,” Melvin said. “You want to draw good, bulldog good, and build momentum for the summer. So, to have a little luck right off the bat is really a huge blessing.” And he’s ready to see what the rest of the year has in store with his horse Utah underneath him. “That’s a horse owned by my good friend Jake Ashworth,” he said. “We partnered on her and man she’s just a phenomenal horse. This was kind of her debut really. She’s working phenomenal, I’m ready to see what she can do for me going forward.”

Ric Andersen photo

Steer wrestler Jace Melvin got his 2023 season rolling with a win at the Denver Coliseum.

ProRodeo Sports News 2/3/2023

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