Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord Score Wins in Mandan and Livingston
By: Brady Renck
It wasn’t like Dustin Egusquiza and Levi Lord needed a change. Both were successful team ropers with seven Wrangler National Finals Rodeo berths between them. But the gravitational pull of their friendship was too hard to ignore. So, the Egusquiza and Lord joined forces this season, a partnership that continues to pay dividends. There are 35 rodeos in Cowboy Christmas from June 24-July 5, and it feels like the duo is winning every one of them.
The steer wrestlers pulled off a double on Fourth of July, winning the Mandan Rodeo Days in North Dakota and the Livingston (Mont.) Rodeo Roundup.
“When we teamed up, it came together pretty easily. We have been best friends for like seven years and he lived with me when he moved to Texas. And we had competed in jackpots together,” Lord said. “We know what page the other is on. And Cowboy Christmas has been really, really good.”
Added Egusquiza, “They were good setups in (Mandan and Livingston). Great steers, big rodeos, and times were fast. It kind of fit my style. It seems like the week was just going OK, then we finished out strong.”
The pair came together with lofty expectations. Lord finished fifth in the PRCA | RAM World Standings last season in team roping. Egusquiza placed seventh. Given their tight bond, it’s not hard to see how this season has played out, even if Egusquiza was a little concerned about his performance early on. Their night in Mandan was yet another example of the pair has evolved. They clocked 3.8 seconds, edging out the Brenten Hall/Paden Bray (3.9) combo.
“Oh man, the steers were really good. It was a short barrier,” said Lord, 27. “You put Dustin in that set-up, and he will turn one fast for sure.”
If there was any doubt how this season would go it was erased quickly over the winter. The duo won the title at the San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo in February. Egusquiza admitted that it “turned our season around.” They had to rally to triumph in the wild card round and walked away with the crown with a time of 4.1 seconds, Egusquiza’s second crown there.
“As a new team to go to a big rodeo like that and get the win was a big deal,” Lord said. “It got us off to a really good start and gave us a jump on the season.”
The temptation when things are going this well would be to peek into the future. Like at the NFR? Not just yet, Egusquiza explained.
“You know this time of year, it’s the best feeling when I get to about $90,000 (in earnings). That’s when I start to feel safe that we are going to Las Vegas,” said Egusquiza, who stands roughly $8,000 shy of that goal. “Once you get to that point, you feel safe, and it takes a lot off your mind. Then you can enjoy it. But we still have work to do.”
Other winners at the Playoff Series rodeo were bareback rider Tim O’Connell (86 points on Macza Pro Rodeo’s Texas Tough); steer wrestler Denard Butler (3.5 seconds); saddle bronc rider Sage Newman (87 points on Stace Smith Pro Rodeos’ Flashcard Champ); tie-down roper Taylor Santos (8.0 seconds); barrel racer Ivy Saebens (17.24 seconds); bull rider Ky Hamilton (88.5 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Sun Country).
Courtesy of PRCA