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Team USA Hopeful Triplett Says World Finals has him Confident for New York and 2020

By: Justin Felisko

PUEBLO, Colo. – Matt Triplett looked around the table inside the Metropolitan Grille in Springfield, Missouri, on Sept. 14 and couldn’t help but he impressed.

Sitting at the same table as him were two active World Champions – Cooper Davis and Jess Lockwood – a PRCA champion in Cody Teel and a World Champion contender in one of his closest friends Chase Outlaw.

The stalwart group wasn’t just about world titles though, also in attendance was standout rookies Dalton Kasel and Mason Taylor, as well as veterans Cody Nance, Derek Kolbaba and Brennon Eldred.

All of them were a reminder to Triplett – a six-time PBR World Finals qualifier – that if he wants to be on the Team USA Eagles squad for the 2020 WinStar World Casino and Resort Global Cup USA, presented by Monster Energy, that he had to step up his game during the remainder of the 2019 season.

Triplett, though, underwhelmed during the stretch run to the World Finals, going only 3-for-14 following Team USA Eagles coaches Justin McBride and J.W. Hart’s introductory luncheon with prospective riders on that September morning.

The 28-year-old made sure to salvage his 2019 season in a major way during the 2019 PBR World Finals.

Triplett went a career-best, 5-for-6 at the World Finals to finish second to event winner and 2019 World Champion Jess Lockwood.

“If you can stay on bulls here, dominate here, that gives you a boost of confidence going into New York (2020), Triplett said. “Going into Chicago. I just want it to carry over and keep having fun.”

 
The 2020 Unleash The Beast season begins Jan. 3-5 with the Monster Energy Buck Off at the Garden, presented by Ariat.

Whether or not Triplett’s performance will be enough to earn him a spot on the Eagles in 2020 is yet to be determined, but one thing is for sure – Triplett made it a point to at least give McBride and Hart a reason to consider him.

“That is the plan. I don’t like not getting picked for that,” Triplett said mid-way through the World Finals. “I love representing my country. I am going to keep on dominating so they have to pick me.”

McBride and Hart made no surprises when they named Lockwood, Davis and Outlaw to their 2020 squad during the World Finals.

It will be interesting to see which three riders are the final selections for the Eagles coaching staff. McBride stated earlier this year that he will not be selecting an alternate for the 2020 Global Cup.

Every qualified ride and every out was one final shot for Triplett to show what he is made of. Triplett was motivated to do all he can to impress the coaching staff that attended the Finals.

Triplett ended the Finals with five consecutive rides following a Round 1 buckoff against Viper (3.52 seconds). It was a precision-esque showing by Triplett. He averaged 88.2 points per ride and covered Magic Poison (89.25 points), Stretch (86.75 points), Sun Country (89.25 points), Red Bandana (86.5 points) and Bezerk (89.25 points).

“Triplett is a real gamer,” McBride said on CBS Sports Network. “This is an extreme guy that likes to go mix it up.

McBride later added in the championship round, “This guy has just been chewing them up all week long. Triplett is in the zone.”

Triplett’s second-place showing at the World Finals propelled him to a seventh-place finish in the world standings. Triplett was the fourth-highest ranked American in 2019 by going 25-for-64 (39.06%) with one 90-point ride and five Top-5 finishes.

 
“The beginning of the year was a boom for me and toward the second half it has just been a struggle from not getting good bulls or me not performing at the best of my level,” Triplett said. “Going into that meeting, I knew I had to do something to impress Justin and J.W.”

Triplett’s 25 qualified rides in 2019 on the Unleash The Beast were his most since posting a career-best 33 rides in back-to-back seasons (2014-2015). Those two years were Triplett’s best overall, as well, with him finishing third (2014) and fifth (2015) as a World Champion contender.

The 2015 World Finals though, was the beginning of a slew of injuries for Triplett. He would tear two ligaments in his right, riding arm in Round 5 and need reconstructive surgery. Five months later, Triplett’s return lasted four weeks before he needed left shoulder surgery. Triplett was surging in 2017 and on the outskirts of the world title race before he tore his left labrum in September and needed surgery once again.

Triplett has actually never failed to be selected to the Eagles roster.

It was his two shoulder injuries led to him being replaced at two of the three Global Cups. The Columbia Falls, Montana, bull rider went 2-for-2 at the Sydney Global Cup last year when the Americans finished in fourth place. Triplett was one of only three Americans to ride two or more bulls in Sydney.

“The last time, I rode everything I got on in Australia,” Triplett said. “It is a different atmosphere. You just want to try so much harder for your team. You have a locker room with guys you can look into their eyes and you can have that feeling that ‘I am not going to let you down. You are my brother. We are going to hold this country on our shoulders.’

“It is fun.”

Triplett was relatively healthy in 2019 and competed in 23 premier series events, setting him up with the opportunity to also begin the 2020 season inside Madison Square Garden.

“Stuck on the sidelines taught me a lot,” Triplett concluded. “It taught me to be a better bull rider. It taught me to appreciate the moment I am in. It taught me to be a better person. I wouldn’t trade it for anything because it has gotten me a long ways.”

Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko

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