Standings Shuffle: 45 Move Up in Top 15
By Matt Naber
There was a lot to love during Valentine’s Day week as cowboys competed at 10 PRCA competitions worth a collective $957,405 Feb. 12-20. With so much money up for grabs, 45 cowboys climbed within the Top 15.
Cowboys know it’s easier to maintain a position at the top than it is to play catch-up when trying to qualify for the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Every dollar counts, and making the Top 15 in the PRCA | RAM World Standings early establishes a solid base and builds a cowboy’s confidence as the season picks up pace.
Nobody knows that better than the six cowboys who launched from outside the Top 50 and into the Top 15 in one week of competition. With the conclusion of the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo this weekend, and more major rodeos on the horizon, big jumps such as these are sure to happen again.
Outside the Top 50
• Tucker Allen climbed from 106th to 11th in steer wrestling.
• Michael Otero moved from 74th to 11th in tie-down roping.
• Jake Pratt climbed from 84th to 13th in tie-down roping.
32 Spots
• Nate McFadden moved from 45th to 13th in bareback riding.
28 Spots
• Kyle Lockett moved from 35th to seventh in team roping heeling.
26 Spots
• Marcus Theriot moved from 32nd to sixth in team roping heading.
• Ryder Wright moved from 36th to 10th in saddle bronc riding.
25 Spots
• Ty Blasingame moved from 28th to third in team roping heading.
23 Spots
• Caleb Bennett moved from 34th to 11th in bareback riding.
17 Spots
• Bart Brunson moved from 22nd to fifth in team roping heading.
15 Spots
• Steven Dent moved from 22nd to seventh in bareback riding.
• Chase Dougherty moved from 23rd to eighth in bull riding.
• Blake Ash moved from 24th to ninth in tie-down roping.
13 Spots
• Paul Eaves moved from 15th to second in team roping heeling.
12 Spots
• Tyler Pearson moved from 26th to 14th in steer wrestling.
11 Spots
• Coleby Payne moved from 17th to sixth in team roping heeling.
10 Spots
• Clayton Biglow moved from 11th to first in bareback riding.
• Casey Tew moved from 23rd to 13th in team roping heading.
Nine Spots
• Rusty Wright moved from 18th to ninth in saddle bronc riding.
• Cody Lee moved from 18th to ninth in steer roping.
Eight Spots
• William Benson moved from 20th to 12th in steer roping.
Six Spots
• Lon Danley moved from 11th to fifth in bull riding.
• Justin Thigpen moved from 12th to sixth in tie-down roping.
• Jacob Edler moved from 14th to eighth in steer wrestling.
• Luke Brown moved from 18th to 12th in team roping heading.
• Tyler Bingham moved from 18th to 12th in bull riding.
Five Spots
• Wyatt Denny moved from ninth to fourth in bareback riding.
• Blake Mindemann moved from ninth to fourth in steer wrestling.
Four Spots
• Chris Glover moved from seventh to third in steer roping.
Three Spots
• Chase Brooks moved from fifth to second in saddle bronc riding.
• Tyler Waguespack moved from sixth to third in steer wrestling.
Two Spots
• Josh Clark moved from third to first in steer wrestling.
• Brody Yeary moved from sixth to fourth in bull riding.
• Zeke Thurston moved from seventh to fifth in saddle bronc riding.
• Adam Gray moved from ninth to seventh in tie-down roping.
One Spot
• Clay Smith moved from second to first in team roping heading.
• Jake Long moved from second to first in team roping heeling.
• Vin Fisher Jr. moved from second to first in steer roping.
• Bradley Harter moved from fourth to third in saddle bronc riding.
• Shay Good moved from fifth to fourth in steer roping.
• Bill Tutor moved from seventh to sixth in bareback riding.
• Scott Guenthner moved from eighth to seventh in steer wrestling.
• Jade Blackwell moved from ninth to eighth in saddle bronc riding.
• Jacob Talley moved from 11th to 10th in steer wrestling.
Cowboys on the bubble for a spot in the Top 15 can find themselves a few dollars short of qualifying for the Wrangler NFR. The end of the 2019 season is so far away that the bubble doesn’t matter yet, but it’s still noteworthy to see who is on the cusp of breaking into the Top 15. The following cowboys climbed the standings to No. 16.
• Bareback rider Tanner Aus moved from 19th and is $986 away from breaking into the Top 15.
• Tie-down roper Tyler Milligan moved from 22nd and is $1,131 away from breaking into the Top 15.
• Saddle bronc rider Jake Watson moved from 31st and is $506 away from breaking into the Top 15.
• Team roping heeler Cole Davison moved from 62nd and is $524 away from breaking into the Top 15.
With San Antonio and La Fiesta de los Vaqueros in Tucson, Ariz., underway, these rodeos and others are sure to have a big impact on the world standings.
Check back with prorodeo.com next week to see who the new leaders are in the world standings.
Courtesy of PRCA