UTB Countdown: No. 4 Daylon Swearingen
By: Justin Felisko
PUEBLO, Colo. – With four days remaining until the Unleash The Beast resumes in Bismarck, North Dakota, with the 20th annual Dakota Community Bank & Trust Invitational, presented by Cooper Tires, PBR.com will take a look at the Top 5 riders in the world standings before the stretch run to the 2020 PBR World Finals begins.
Today, we look at Daylon Swearingen, who is currently fourth in the world standings.
2020 First Half UTB Stats
Rides: 15
Attempts: 38
Riding Percentage: 39.47%
Top Ride: 91.75 on I’m Legit Too & Big Black
Average Ride Score: 81.80
Wins: 1 (Chicago)
15/15 Bucking Battle victories: 1 (St. Louis)
Round Wins: 3
Top 10: 5
Top 5: 4
90-point Rides: 3
First Half Recap: The 2020 season has been feast or famine for Swearingen. The second-year pro failed to record a qualified ride in six of 13 Unleash The Beast events, but he made noise when he did reach the 8-second mark and had four Top-3 finishes, including a victory in Chicago, in the seven events in which he did record a score.
Swearingen attempted the most bulls in the first half (38) and is tied for third in the league in round wins (3) and 90-point rides (3). The 21-year-old’s 15 qualified rides is fourth on the Unleash the Beast.
The Piffard, New York, native won the 15/15 Bucking Battle in St. Louis with 91.75 points on 2020 YETI World Champion Bull contender I’m Legit Too, an example that Swearingen does have the potential to convert on higher-end bulls, especially when they turn into his riding hand.
Similar to No. 5 Colten Jesse, Swearingen has to improve upon his 39.47% riding average to be a true contender for a world title in 2020 and cut into world No. 1 Jose Vitor Leme’s 360.34-point lead on him. This is particularly true in the championship round (2-for-7) and 15/15 Bucking Battles (1-for-4).
Last year, Swearingen became the youngest rider to qualify for the PBR World Finals and the National Finals Rodeo in the same season, doing so months after also winning the collegiate bull riding national title. Swearingen has already set a career-high for qualified rides (15) on the premier series this season after going 12-for-39 (30.77%) in 2019.
Swearingen ended the first half with five consecutive buckoffs at the Lazy E Arena in Guthrie, Oklahoma, and he went 5-for-15 at the Monster Energy Team Challenge as captain of Team Boot Barn.
However, Swearingen found his mojo on the rodeo trail this summer (13-for-23) and, as of Monday morning, has surged to No. 22 in the PRCA standings as he attempts to qualify for both the PBR World Finals and the NFR for a second consecutive season.
Best First Half Performance: Swearingen put himself in early-season contention for a world title when he won the Chicago Invitational with a 3-for-3 performance, highlighted by his 91.75-point, winning ride on Big Black. Swearingen rode Invizibull Fire (87.75 points) and Thunder on Hooves (86 points) to set himself up to select Big Black in the championship round. The event win was the first of Swearingen’s young career.
First Half Top Ride: Swearingen won the U.S. Border Patrol Invitational 15/15 Bucking Battle in St. Louis by riding I’m Legit Too for 91.75 points, which is tied with his ride on Big Black for the second-best score of his premier series career. I’m Legit Too drifted across the arena with Swearingen into the second-year rider’s left riding hand, and Swearingen made sure to keep his timing right in line with the now-J.W. Hart bovine athlete with relative ease.
It was the only ride Swearingen posted in four 15/15 Bucking Battles in the first half.
First Half Reading:
• Swearingen learning how to handle the big moments
• Swearingen working on controlled aggression
• Swearingen closing in on land and ranch management degree
Rodeo Marathon: Swearingen has been extremely busy this summer, and he has attempted the most bulls in competition among any of the 2020 World Champion contenders when you factor in his PRCA run. As of Monday morning, Swearingen is 19-for-45 at all levels of competition since the Unleash The Beast first half ended. He won the Oakley Independence Day Rodeo and split the victory at the rodeo in Prescott, Arizona. In regards to PBR competition, Swearingen finished in sixth place at the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s Sioux Falls Invitational in his only PBR event where world points were awarded.
Analysis: Swearingen will certainly have his work cut out for him in the second half, but his commitment to the sport is undeniable. Going up and down the rodeo trail all summer long is no easy task, and rust should not be a factor when he steps inside the Bismarck Civic Center this weekend. RidePass host Colby Yates believes the summer rodeo run could help Swearingen begin the second half with some momentum while other riders look to knock their rust off early on.
“Daylon Swearingen is looking good,” Yates said. “He has won a bunch of money rodeoing over the summer, and he just started. He already is almost in the Top 15. He is always one to keep an eye on.
“It is inevitable. The more bulls you get on, the better you are going to do because your timing is on point and everything is working. That is an advantage. Let’s be honest. Most guys don’t get on, other than Leme, all week long. They are just not doing it. They are trying to save themselves because yes, this is dangerous or whatever reasons they have.”
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
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