Last night many of the 39 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo rookie contestants continued to make their presence known as they continued to dominate here in 2016. For the second straight night out of as many rounds saddle bronc rider Ryder Wright came out of the round as the man to beat moving forward. After claiming two back to back round wins Wright has set himself up to not only win the average championship title at his very first WNFR but also has a chance to drive out of Las Vegas with a brand new Dodge Ram pick-up truck for winning the Top Gun award as well.
Also making a mark last night was Women’s Professional Rodeo Association’s barrel racer Kimmie Wall who came into her run full of confidence and determination. That being said she put down a blazing run of a 13.79 which put her in the number one spot in the average heading into tonight’s third round of competition here at the 2016 Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo by .07 seconds which can be huge with runs being so close each and every night inside of the Thomas & Mack Arena.
Hunter Herrin Splits Round Three At The 2016 WNFR
PRCA Photo By Greg Westfall
Tonight we once again feature two of the traditional rodeo events that are held in conjunction with the WNFR here in Las Vegas to feature in out nightly round by round recap. The first event that we will focus on tonight will be the timed event that we call tie-down roping that has drawn a lot of discussion and turmoil over the last couple of years. Over the last two nights a seasoned veteran as well as a second year WNFR contestants have made their way across the South Point stage to collect their go-round winning Montana Silversmith belt buckles and Pendelton Whiskey.
Tonight however, a pair of men were able to add their names to the 2016 WNFR history books by claiming a go-round wins while splitting round three. The men claiming those spots and sharing the title of go-round winners would be Hunter Herrin and Cade Swor who managed to fight through the pressures and short starts the continue to cause many contestants problems here this week. They was able to make everything work together to lay down huge runs of 7.0 seconds that none of the other thirteen competing could beat in the third round. I was able to catch up with them following their go-round winning runs to talk about the feeling of being able to look ahead to the next seven rounds after claiming their first go-round wins of the 2016 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. See what they had to say to me about all of this in the short video interview below!
Lisa Lockhart Runs To The Round Three Win At The 2016 WNFR
PRCA Photo By Greg Westfall
In our coverage here at the Rodeo Round Up we spend some time spotlighting each of the seven events that are part of the Wrangler National Finals format. Tonight the second event that we will be diving into is the event where fast and flashy cowgirls from the Women’s Professional Rodeo Association compete in a head to head match-up in the barrel racing. Each year the learning curve is a bit hard on the women but so far this year all fifteen of these girls here have had absolutely no problem and have put on quite the display of horsemanship inside of the Thomas & Mack.
Over the last two nights Wrangler National Finals Rodeo rookies have shown up the seasoned veterans that are supposed to be showing THEM the ropes and the layout of the land. In round one Pamela Capper would set the arena ablaze while in round two another rookie, Kimmie Wall, would take home the round win as well. Tonight it would be Lisa Lockhart who would be able to claim the top spot in the round with a demanding run of 13.72 seconds. With the runs that we have seen over the first three rounds I think it is safe to say that the attention to detail regarding the ground conditions have served a realistic purpose here at this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. I caught up with Lisa in the media room before she headed south down the strip to the South Point to claim her buckle. See what she had to say below.
Complete Round Three Recap Below That Includes Round Winner, Average Leader And Current World Leader
Bareback
Round Winner – Clayton Biglow & Tanner Aus (88.00)
Average Leader – Clayton Biglow (257.00)
Current World Leader – Tim O’Connell
Steer Wrestling
Round Winner – J.D. Struxness & Tyler Waguespack (3.9 Seconds)
Average Leader – Matt Reeves (11.90 Seconds)
Current World Leader – Clayton Haas
Team Roping
Round Winners – Matt Sherwood & Quinn Kesler (4.5 Seconds)
Average Leaders – Luke Brown & Jake Long (13.80 Seconds)
Current World Leaders – Luke Brown & Jake Long
Saddle Bronc Riding
Round Winner – Ryder Wright (86.50)
Average Leader – Ryder Wright (260.00)
Current World Leader – Jacobs Crawley
Tie-Down Roping
Round Winner – Hunter Herrin & Cade Swor (7.0 Seconds)
Average Leader – Shane Hanchey (22.90 Seconds)
Current World Leader – Marcos Costa
Barrel Racing
Round Winner – Lisa Lockhart (13.72)
Average Leader – Sherry Cervi (41.49 Seconds)
Current World Leader – Mary Burger
Bull Riding
Round Winner – Shane Proctor (91.00)
Average Leader – Shane Proctor (260.00)
Current World Leader – Sage Kimzey
Tonight was yet another illustration that the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association and its super-bowl of rodeo, The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, will be secure for the future. Many of the fans in attendance so far this week, 16,939 tonight alone, and those watching at home were wondering how the dismissal of some of the big names would affect the 2016 edition but all that has been laid to rest already after each and every one of the contestants here have put forth 100% effort to carry on this long standing tradition that we all call the WNFR!
It is quite easy to follow all the breaking news and excitement with the Rodeo Round Up simply by copying this website into your favorites in your web browser for easy one-click access to event statistics. You can also like and follow us on Facebook here, or by liking and following us on Instagram at @rodeoroundup and on Twitter at @therodeoroundup. Jason has also made it easy for you to be a part of his interviews by opening up a listener comment line. If you have a question for a certain rodeo star simply call in and leave your name, where you are from, who the question is for and what your question is and he will do his best to get it answered for you during his interviews!
Leave a Reply