College National Finals Rodeo - Sun-First Perf
- Megan Nicole Larson
- 13 minutes ago
- 5 min read
The College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) began its 2026 edition with two sessions of Bulls, Broncs & Breakaway on Sunday, June 14 with bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, bull riding and breakaway. 427 National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association athletes from colleges and universities across the country have come to Wyoming for the weeklong CNFR to see who will be crowned one of the 2026 national champions. Top athletes from 12 geographic regions compete in three rounds of competition. The top 12 cumulative scores/times advance to Championship Saturday to compete for national championships. The first round of competition in the other five events was held on Monday; then the second round of competition will finish on Tuesday afternoon. Round three is spread over four rodeo performances beginning Tuesday evening and running through Friday evening.
Kooper Heimburg rode Lakota Park (Summit Pro Rodeo) for 86.5 points to take first in the bareback riding. Tagg Bond of Clarendon (Texas) College had the highest score in the saddle bronc riding with his 86 points on Bronchitis (Championship Pro Rodeo). Gavin Knutson of University of Montana Western took first in the bull riding with an 82 points on Homer (Championship Pro Rodeo). Eight bull riders made a qualified ride in round one. It was extremely close in the breakaway roping with only two-tenths of a second separated round one’s top eight. First place was split four ways between Emma Ohm of Black Hills State University (South Dakota), Brooke Bruner of Clarendon College, Ruby Espy of Missouri Valley College and Alissa Erickson of Cisco (Texas) College, who all stopped the clock in 2.1 seconds.
On Tuesday in round two, Acey Pinkston looked like she could potentially secure herself back-to-back College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) titles. The Weatherford College senior stopped the clock in 13.62 seconds. She is currently ranked 23rd in the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association and is on a quest to qualify for her first National Finals Rodeo. Tydon Tsosie, a former INFR Champion from New Mexico, took first place his 3.7 seconds in the steer wrestling. University of Wyoming junior Josie Mousel was the round winner in the goat tying with her 5.8 seconds run. Walker Smith of Sam Houston State University and Cade Sandstrom of Southwest Texas College had the fastest time in the team roping.
Only in it's second year of having a rodeo team, North Dakota’s Bismarck State College is already making a name for themselves in Casper with six qualifiers in seven events. Recent graduate Tyler Hansen won round one of tie-down roping with his 8.4 second run and his freshman teammate and younger brother, Kale Hansen, took seventh. Another teammate, Parker Sandstrom tied for third in round one of steer wrestling and a fourth, T. J. Andrews, is holding sixth place overall in bareback riding.
The first perf of the College National Finals Rodeo kicked off Tues in Casper, Wyoming in the Ford Wyoming Center. Bismarck State College’s Tyler Hansen is capitalizing on his first qualification to the College National Finals Rodeo, clocking a 9.1 second run to take the lead in the standings in the tie-down roping with 28.4 seconds on three head. The goat tying has been a fierce competition. Alyssa Gary, a junior at McNeese State University stands on top of the leaderboard with 19.1 seconds on three head despite taking second last night with her 6.1 second run. Canadian Jace Lomheim, a freshman at Tarleton State University in Stephenville, Texas, had the high score on Tuesday in the bareback riding with his 81.5 points on Pick-Up Sticks (Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics). He currently sits at third. Collin Roland, a sophomore at Missouri Valley College in Marshall leads the overall standings with a total of 234.5 points on three rides.
The second performance of the CNFR begins at 7 p.m. on Wednesday where the third round continues
Bareback Riding: (third round leaders) 1, Jace Lomheim, Tarleton State University (Texas), 81.5 points on Sankey Pro Rodeo & Phenom Genetics’ Pickup Sticks. 2, Blayn Hughston, Western Texas College, 8.5. 3. TJ Andrews. Bismarck State University. 76.25. 4, Dahl Winters, College of Southern Idaho, 75.5. (overall leaders) 1, Collin Roland, Missouri Valley College, 234.5. 2, Hughston, 232.75. 3, Lomheim, 230.5. 4, Andrews, 227.25.
Breakaway Roping: (third round leaders) 1, Peyton Levine, New Mexico State University, 2.1 seconds. 2, Jessi Everett, Texas Tech University, 2.2. 3, Sierra Hilgenkamp, Sheridan College (Wyo.), 4, Alex Balddwin, Lassen College (Calif.), 2.6. (overall leaders) 1, Everett, 7.0 seconds. 2, Ivy Bone, University of West Alabama, 8.6. 3, Levine, 19.9. (on two) 4, Hilgenkamp, 4.4
Tie-down Roping: (third round leaders) 1, Trey Stembridge, Utah Valley University, 8.5 seconds. 2, Tyler Hansen, Bismarck State College, 9.1. 3, Ryan Wells, Cal Poly Tech University, 9.5. 4, Tate Talkington, University of Wyoming, 9.6. (overall leaders) 1, Hansen, 28.4 seconds. 2, Brody Clemons, Tarleton State University (Texas), 41.3. 3, Treg Thorstenson, University of Wyoming, 42.9. 4, Matthew Miller, Mid-Plains Community College (Neb.), 50.5.
Saddle Bronc Riding: (third round leaders) 1, Kaden Miranda, New Mexico State University, 79 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Hello Darlin’. 2, Jack Ford, McNeese State University (La.), 78.75. 3, Bryett Larsen, Western Texas College, 76.50. 4, Chance Frost Cal Poly Tech University, 74.75. (overall leaders) 1, Ford, 241.75. 2, Larsen, 235.75. 3, Skinny Parsons, Tarleton State University (Texas), 221.25. 4, Miranda, 205.
Steer Wrestling: (third round leaders) 1, Hadley White, Texas Tech University, 5.5. 2, (tie) Will Collier, Northwest Mississippi Junior College, and Justus Peterson, Montana Technological University, 5.6 each. 4, Tommy Jack Rose, Treasure Valley Community College (Ore.), 6.5. (overall leaders) 1, White, 18.3. 2, Collier, 18.5, 3, Caleb Lake, Angelo State University (Texas), 28.6. 4, Ryder Gaasch, Montana State University, 33.9
Goat Tying: (third round leaders) 1, Addyson Derr, Missouri Valley College, 6.0 seconds. 2, Alyssa Gary, McNeese State University, 6.3. 3, Zaran Kirkpatrick, South Plains College (Texas), 6.6. 4, Macie Fowlie, Cochise College (Ariz.), 6.7. (overall leaders) 1, Gary, 19.1 seconds. 2, Ashley Barratt, Utah Valley University, 19.5. 3, Greeley Eastep, Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 19.6. 4, Fowlie, 20.1.
Team Roping: (third round leaders) 1, Ty Taylor and Tommy Jack Rose, Treasure Valley Community College, 5.6 seconds. 2, Kendall Patterson and Collin Snyder, Fresno State University, 6.6. 3, Austin Pixley and Sterling Fowlie, Central Arizona College, 7.1. 4, Connor Talbott, Blue Mountain Community College (Ore.), and Bodey Ratliff, Lassen College (Calif.), 8.9. (overall leaders) 1, Travis Smith, Cal Poly Tech University, and Clay Helton, Bakersfield College, 49.5 seconds. (on two) 2, Tyler Jones, Fresno State University, and Ty Jacobs, Cal Poly Tech University, 14.7. 3, Taylor and Rose, 16.0. 4, Pixley and Fowlie, 18.9.
Barrel Racing: (third round leaders) 1, Devin Young, Texas A&M University, 13.62 seconds. 2, Madison Murphy, University of West Alabama, 13.65. 3, Bridget Romey, Chadron State College (Neb.) 14.07. 4, Alissa Flores, Sam Houston State University (Texas), 14.17. (overall leaders) 1, Young, 41.20 seconds. 2, Romey, 23.56. 3, Emily Ward, Weatherford College, 42.86. 4, Hannah Fullmer, Central Arizona College, 43.73.
Bull Riding: (third round leaders-three rides) 1, Ashton Zabriskie, College of Southern Idaho, 77 points on Summit Pro Rodeo’s Snoop Dog. 2, Mason Reine, College of Southern Idaho, 76.25. 3, Kahl Wasilow, Laramie County Community College (Wyo.), 75. (overall leaders- on two) 1, Brock Cooper, Treasure Valley Community College (Ore.), 147.75. 2, Gavin Knutson, University of Montana Western, 143. (on one) 3, Jace Hensley, Missouri Valley College, 84.5. 4, Dakota Smith, Northwest Mississippi Community College, 80.5.
