Consistency Pays for Alumni at WNFR

Las Vegas — The genetic improvement of the animal athletes in the roughstock events makes for high-point rides that the crowd craves, but it becomes more difficult for cowboys to cover all ten animals throughout the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (WNFR). This year was no exception. In the saddle bronc riding, only one cowboy made the eight-second whistle on every horse he placed his saddle on. The top cowboy in the bull riding rode seven of the ten bulls to be the aggregate champion.

The cowboys of Oklahoma Panhandle State University proved they too can be consistent across the most grueling ten days of rodeo. Orin Larsen placed eighth in the aggregate for an additional $6,346.15. The Canadian cowboy made the whistle on nine of the ten head for a total combined score of 768 points. Larsen finished eighth in the world standings as well.

When faced with challenging broncs in the saddle bronc riding, Cort Scheer cashed-in with three go-round wins. He also placed fourth in the aggregate with a total of 688 points on eight head, adding $31,730.77 to his 10-day winnings. Scheer climbed to sixth in the world standings with $238,972.28 accumulated throughout both the regular season and the WNFR.

Clay Elliott also added a little extra to the pockets of his Wrangler jeans by placing seventh in the average with 511.50 points on six head. He landed in tenth place in the world standings. Taos Muncy finished his year in fifteenth.

The biggest movement came in the bull riding. Joe Frost covered 50 percent of his bulls, scoring a combined 436.50 points. The Utah cowboy pocketed an extra $54,576.92 for his second-place finish in the aggregate. He leaped into third place in the world standings after earning $138,557.69 during the WNFR.

Just as these alumni prepare for the new year, the Panhandle State Rodeo Team will return from winter break with a full schedule including the annual Top Hand Auction in February before kicking off collegiate rodeo action at Kansas State University.