Trenten Montero

Trenten Montero – Winnemucca, Nev. ($80,757)
First-time WNFR qualifier

If Trenton Montero has any regrets about his first Wrangler National Finals Rodeo qualification, it’s that he won’t be able to participate in the grand entry.

There is nothing this ranch-raised cowboy would rather do than ride behind the Nevada flag as one of this year’s Wrangler National Finals Rodeo contestants, except get on a bucking horse and ride for a world championship. That is exactly what he is going to do and because bareback riding is the first event, those contestants don’t participate in the grand entry.

Trenton will be behind the bucking chutes getting ready to nod his head, but after eight years as a PRCA member, he will probably take a moment to soak in that grand entry when they bring the Nevada flag around. He comes from a rodeo family with a father an aunt and an uncle who were all successful at the collegiate level. He is however, the first Montero to ride at rodeo’s ultimate championships.

Trenton left Nevada to pursue his dream. He started college at New Mexico State University (NMSU) and qualified for the College National Finals three times in the bull riding and bareback riding. While he was at school, he met a girl from Arizona that would change his life.

Not only is 2019 the year of his first NFR qualification, it is also the year that he and Maria got married. They both got their bachelor’s degrees from NMSU, but Maria had much higher aspirations. She is currently studying for her Doctor of Occupational Therapy at Rocky Mountain College in Billings, Montana.

So the young couple has yet to put down roots. Trenton will always call Winnemucca, Nevada home. To facilitate Maria’s education, they are living in Billings now and whenever her schedule allows, she goes to rodeos with Trenton.

Trenton had a big win at the St. Paul (Oregon) Rodeo over the Fourth of July. That put him in the top 20 in the standings. He had another good win at the Rancho Mission Viejo rodeo in San Juan Capistrano, California in August.

When he decided to focus on bareback riding, he began climbing in the standings. In 2017 he finished in 39th place. Last year he was 24th. This year a big contingent from Winnemucca and his new bride will be cheering him on as he rides at his first NFR.