CHEYENNE, Wyo., July 26, 2024 — Two rides in the rare 90-point range highlighted Semi Finals 1 at the 128th Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo (CFD) on Friday.
Newly crowned collegiate all-around and bull riding champion Wacey Schalla of Arapaho, Oklahoma, became the first bull rider at Frontier Park this year to score above 90 points. Schalla was matched with Dakota Rodeo’s bull Sneaky Situation for the second time this month. Over the 4th of July Schalla scored 86.5 points on Sneaky Situation to tie for first place in Mandan, North Dakota.
His ride on the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo (NFR) bull at the Daddy of ‘em All was even better – 91 points. Schalla earned nearly $3,100 and advanced to Championship Sunday. He will compete in Saturday’s Semi Finals in the bareback riding with a chance to make the final round in both events.
Canadian Kolby Wanchuk scored the second 90-point ride of this year’s rodeo to win the round in saddle bronc riding. Wanchuk rode Brookman Rodeo’s NFR bucking horse named Apollo. Fellow Canadian Zeke Thurston marked 90 to win Quarterfinals 3 on Monday.
Wanchuk, who lives in Sherwood Park, Alberta, added more than $3,000 to his season earnings for the Semi Finals win. Every dollar is important since he is currently ranked 16th in the world championship standings and needs to be in the Top 15 by the end of the season to qualify for his third NFR.
Reigning world champion team ropers Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp each earned $5,200 when they won their event with an 8.3-second run. The Texas ropers are currently ranked 10th in the world championship standings.
Recent college graduate, Tayla Moeykens of Three Forks, Montana, and her horse named KN Fames Best Yet clocked the fastest time in Frontier Park this year to win the barrel racing Semi Finals. Moeykens and the six-year-old gelding that she calls Yeti won the reserve national championship at the College National Finals Rodeo the past two years for Montana State University. She is already putting her newly minted degree in business marketing for two businesses that she owns – Cool Nerd Marketing and Four M Performance Horses.
Another recent college graduate, breakaway roper Kinlie Brennise of Craig, Colo., was among the last two cowgirls to compete in the Semi Finals. The Tarleton State University alumna caught her calf in 3.9-seconds to win more than $6,100 and qualify for Championship Sunday.
Other event winners in Semi Finals 1 were bareback rider Jacob Lees of Caldwell, Idaho, with 88.5 points on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s Hot Money; tie-down roping world standings leader Shad Mayfield of Clovis, New Mexico, with 10.1 seconds and steer wrestler Denton Good of Long Valley, South Dakota with 5.9.
Semi Finals 2 begins Saturday at 12:45 p.m. where the six best rides or times in each event will advance to Championship Sunday. They will compete against those who advanced from Semi Finals 1 for the bulk of the more than $1 million purse.
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CHEYENNE, Wyo. (July 26, 2024)- The following are unofficial results from Semi Finals 1 (seventh performance) at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo on Friday, July 25. The top six in each event advance to Championship Sunday.
Bareback Riding: 1, Jacob Lees, Caldwell, Idaho, 88.5 points on Fettig Pro Rodeo’s Hot Money, $3.154. 2, (tie) Clint Laye, Cadogan, Alberta, Canada, and Lane McGehee, Victoria, Texas, 87, $2,055 each. 4, (tie) Brayze Schill, West Columbia, Texas, and R.C. Landingham, Hat Creek, Calif., 82.5, $908 each. 6, Taylor Broussard, Estherwood, La., 84.5, $478 .
Breakaway Roping: 1, Kinlie Brennise, Craig, Colo., 3.9 seconds, $6,105. 2, Chenoa VandeStouwe, Weatherford, Okla., 4.2, $4,625. 3, Shelby Boisjoli-Meged, Miles City, Mont., 5.5, $3,330. 4, Jordan Jo Hollabaugh, Springtown, Texas, 5.7, $2,200. 5, (tie) Kaydin Finan, Wickenburg, Ariz., and Amanda Coleman, Stephenville, Texas, 6.0, $1,110 each.
Tie Down Roping: 1, Shad Mayfield, Clovis, N.M., 10.1 seconds, $5,200. 2, Cash Fuez, Eureka, Kan., 10.5, $4,300. 3, Cash Fretwell, Pleasanton, Texas, 10.6, $3,400. 4, Tyler Milligan, Pawhuska, Okla., 10.7, $2,500. 5, Dylan Hancock, San Angelo, Texas, 11.8, $1,600. 6, Chet Weitz, London, Texas, 13.7, $900.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Kolby Wanchuk, Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada, 90 points on Brookman Rodeo’s Apollo, $3,035. 2, Lefty Holman, Visalia, Ca., 88, $2,299. 3, Zeke Thurston, Big Valley, Alberta, Canada, 86.5, $1,655. 4, Chase Brooks, Deer Lodge, Mont., 85, $1,104. 5, Sage Newman, Melstone, Mont., 84, $644. 6, Wyatt Casper, Miami, Texas, 83, $460.
Team Roping: 1, Tyler Wade, Terrell, Texas, and Wesley Thorp, Throckmorton, Texas, 8.3 seconds, $5,200 each. 2, Wawa Ben Jr. and Brandon Ben, Peridot, Ariz., 8.6, $4,300 each. 3, Dawson and Dillon Graham, 9.1, $3,400 each. 4, Ed Shearer and Taylor Brower, Parshall, N.D., 9.2, $2,500 each. 5, Hayes Smith, Central Point, Ore., and Justin Davis, Cottonwood, Calif., 9.3, $1,600 each. 6, Clayton Van Aken, Yoder, Wyo., and Culler Teller, Ault, Colo., 9.6, $900 each.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Denton Good, Long Valley, S.D., 5.9 seconds, $4,060. 2, Jacob Wang, Laramie, Wyo., 6.2, $3,360. 3, (tie) Caden Camp, Belgrade, Mont., and Colton Swearingen, Cowlesville, N.Y., 6.5, $2,310 each. 5, (tie) Walt Arnold, Coleman, Texas, and Jeremy Burkhalter, Humble, Texas, 6.9, $980 each.
Barrel Racing: 1, Tayla Moeykens, Three Forks, Mont., 17.00 seconds, $5,375. 2, Tiffany Lujan, Stephenville, Texas, 17.27, $4,449. 3, LaTricia Duke, Zephyr, Texas, 17.16, $3,522 . 4, Sabrina Ketcham, Yeso, N.M., 17.33, $2,595. 5, Andrea Busby, Brock, Texas, 17.44, $1,668. 6, Sherry Cervi, Marana, Ariz., $927.
Bull Riding: (four rides) 1, Wacey Schalla, Arapaho, Okla., 91 points on Dakota Rodeo’s Sneaky Situation, $3,076. 2, Jackson Ward, Goddard, Kan., 87.5, $2,331 . 3, Brandon Ballard, New Hope, Ky., $1,678 . 4, Hayes Weight, Goshen, Utah, 50, $1,119.
Rookie Saddle Bronc Riding: First round winners: 1, Hank Whitaker, 81 points on Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s 463, $1,219. 2, (tie) Clint Read, Wildwood, Alberta, Canada, and Dylan Young, Sturgeon County, Aberta, Canada, 79. $794 each. 4, (tie) Skinny Parsons, Springdale, Ark., and Sid Skiver, Nogales, Ariz., 78, $351 each. 6, Tucker Bourdet, Hollister, Calif., 76, $185. Second round leaders: 1. Drew Bordelon, Ville Platte, La., 84 points on Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s 507. 2, Tucker Bourdet, Hollister, Calif., 82. 3, Read, 80. 4, Skiver, 75. Josue Molina, Pampa, Texas, 74. Overall leaders: 1, Read, 159. 2, Bourdet, 158. 3, Skiver, 153. 4, Molina, 148. 5, Whitaker, 149. 6, (tie) Ford, and Parsons, 147.
Wild Horse Race: No qualified rides.