Swearingen Back in the New York Groove as Home State Favorite in Madison Square Garden

By: Darci Miller

NEW YORK CITY – At the Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden, presented by Ariat, several riders got louder ovations than the rest of the group.

Two-time and reigning World Champion Jess Lockwood was one of them. Three-time World Champion Silvano Alves was another.

But no one got louder cheers than 20-year-old Daylon Swearingen.

The Piffard, New York, native was the first rider in recent memory to have a partisan, home-state crowd behind him at the season-opening event in Madison Square Garden, and he pulled his rope in the chutes to the tune of “New York Groove.”

“Most other places, they say New York and you don’t really hear much,” Swearingen said with a smile. “So it’s kind of exciting.”

Of course, Piffard is a far cry from New York City. With a population of 220 as of the 2010 census, it’s closer to the Canadian border than the Big Apple.

Still, despite his home being a five-hour drive away, the crowd embraced him as one of their own.

Swearingen went 2-for-4 on the weekend, covering High Hopes for 82.5 points in Round 2 and Chuck & Larry for 86.5 points and a tie for sixth place in Round 3. Blue Crush dispatched him in 5.66 seconds in the championship round Sunday, and Swearingen finished 14th overall.

He was particularly relieved to ride High Hopes, getting his first ride of 2020 in the books with a gritty – if not the most aesthetically pleasing – performance.

 
“I just kept moving,” Swearingen said. “I was never in great shape, but I just kind of kept moving, and that’s what kept me on there.”

Swearingen earned 15.66 world points and is currently ranked No. 5 in the world standings with 75.66 points. He trails world No. 1 Joao Ricardo Vieira by 116.34 points.

Though the 2020 season is still in its infancy, Swearingen has already managed to make it count. Following the 2019 PBR World Finals in Las Vegas, he headed north of the border to compete at the 2019 Monster Energy PBR Canada Finals, presented by Dakota Dunes Casino.

Entering the event ranked No. 4 in Canada, Swearingen went a flawless 4-for-4 for a come-from-behind victory and the PBR Canada championship, the $50,000 bonus and 60 world points.

“It’s great,” Swearingen said. “I enjoy going to the Canadian events. I feel like they’re kind of close to home when they come out east. But that was a really cool event. I was thankful to win it.”

Indeed, Piffard is about one hour from the Canadian border, so in many ways, Swearingen is closer to being a hometown rider in Toronto than he is in New York City. He spent a good chunk of his 2019 season competing in Canada, needing just nine events on Canadian soil to secure himself the championship.

That title was just one of many accolades Swearingen earned last season. He also earned the distinction of becoming the youngest bull rider ever to qualify for the National Finals Rodeo and the PBR World Finals in the same year. He finished No. 9 in the PRCA standings, winning Round 5 of the NFR with a 92-point ride aboard War Cry.

Swearingen also competed collegiately on the rodeo team for Panola College, winning the 2019 national championship.

In 2020, however, he plans to continue to compete in Canada, but mostly focus on PBR events.

He spent his offseason simply trying to recover and regroup.

“I did a lot of rodeoing last year and stuff, so just trying to get my body back to feeling good and ready for this season,” Swearingen said. “I worked out, stretched out, did a lot of core and balance workouts.”

It all led him back to his hometown (so to speak) event in New York City, at which he competed for the first time. He made his Unleash The Beast debut in Columbus, Ohio, in April 2019, but he was actually in attendance at Madison Square Garden the previous two years.

His family, which produces rodeos in upstate New York, brought bulls to the event, and Swearingen made the trip south to assist.

“That was the first time I came to the city – for this event,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to be here, and when I got here then, bringing the bulls, it was just exciting seeing everything and seeing these great riders and stuff like that.”

Now, he’s here competing alongside them.

With his rookie eligibility expired – he finished No. 3 in the Rookie of the Year race in 2019, and No. 13 in the world standings – he wants to improve on his consistency, but he’s finally ready to start feeling at home on the Unleash The Beast.

And not just in New York.

“You just kind of feel more comfortable, like you belong here,” Swearingen said. “And that’s what I plan on. Just staying here.”

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