LAS VEGAS — Ty Erickson and Clay Tryan bounced back in a big way Monday as the 2022 Wrangler National Finals Rodeo hit its midpoint.
Meanwhile, Lisa Lockhart again raised the stakes and was able to claim her first go-round victory of the 10-day Finals.
Helena's Erickson won the fifth performance of steer wrestling with a 3.9-second run at the Thomas & Mack Center. Erickson, the 2019 world champion, finished the round alone in first place to claim to top prize of $28,914.
In doing so, Erickson broke a string of three straight rounds without winning a check.
The event's other competitor from Helena, Timmy Sparing, had a time of 4.6 seconds but was left out of the money. Jesse Brown of Baker City, Oregon, who rodeoed collegiately at Montana State, had a 4.4-second time, good for sixth place and $4,464.
In team roping, Tryan, a header from Billings, paired with heeler Jade Corkill of Fallon, Nevada, for a run of 3.8 seconds to win $25,882 and share the fifth-round victory with Coleman Proctor of Pryor, Oklahoma, and Logan Medlin of Tatum, New Mexico.
Tryan, a three-time world champion making his 20th NFR appearance, also snapped a string of three straight nights without placing.
Lockhart, a Circle native, rode her horse Levee to a time of 13.52 to share victory in the fifth round of barrel racing with Hailey Kinsel of Cotulla, Texas, and win a $25,882 check. It was Lockhart's first go-round win of the Finals. The time she shared with Kinsel is the fastest of any competitor at this NFR.
Lockhart has placed in four straight rounds — including three straight in the top three — and remains locked in at No. 1 in the average entering Tuesday.
Haven Meged of Miles City came into Monday's performance of tie-down roping ranked fourth in the world. He had a 10.1-second run, but that wasn't good enough for a check. Meged, who remains No. 2 in the average, had placed in each of the previous four rounds.
Marty Yates of Stephenville, Texas, and Kincade Henry of Mount Pleasant, Texas, tied to win the fifth tie-down performance with matching times of 7.3 seconds.
Elsewhere, Melstone cowboy Sage Newman, ranked No. 1 in the world, scored 79.5 points in saddle bronc on Cervi Championship Rodeo's Ricky Bobby and was left out of the money. In a re-ride, Deer Lodge's Chase Brooks scored 82.5 points atop Calgary Stampede's Tokyo Bubbles. Brooks failed to cash a check after placing in each of the previous two performances.
Tanner Butner of Daniel, Wyoming, rode to an 84.5-point score, failing to place. Brody Cress of Hillsdale, Wyoming, scored an 87 and was also on the outside looking in. Logan Hay of Wildwood, Alberta, won the fifth round of saddle bronc Monday with an 89-point ride.
Bareback rider Caleb Bennett of Corvallis pocketed his first check of the Finals on Sunday and followed with an 86-point ride on Pickett Pro Rodeo's Night Crawler in the fifth round Monday. That left Brooks just on the outside of the top six.
Cole Reiner of Buffalo, Wyoming, who won the fourth round of bareback on Sunday, was also out of the money on Monday with an 84-point ride. R.C. Landingham of Hat Creek, California, scored 90.5 points to win the fifth performance.
The 10-day NFR continues with the sixth round Tuesday night at the Thomas & Mack Center.
