From Underdogs to Champions: Consistency Reigned at the 2026 Greeley Stampede Rodeo

The 2026 rodeo season is heating up for athletes across the country as the summer rodeos hold big chances to pocket some hefty cash. Cowboys and cowgirls took over Greeley, Colorado from June 25th to July 1st at the Greeley Stampede and performances didn’t disappoint for those who landed on top.

Rough Stock Riders

Keenan Hayes set the pace in bareback riding as he came into the arena with something to prove. Sitting at No. 5 in the world standings, he pulled in second place in both the first (87 points) and final round (88 points).

While it wasn’t the top score, as Cole Franks bested him in round one with 87.5 points and Colt Eck in the finals with an 89-point ride, his consistency landed him the overall win and a check for $4,872.

Leon Fountain may sit at No. 41 in the saddle bronc world standings but that meant nothing for his performance in Greeley. In the average, the cowboy bested two top 10 athletes (Lefty Holman and Damian Brennan) and came out with the win thanks to his score of 173.5 points on two heads. The rides earned him $5,087 pushing him up in the overall leaderboard.

Fountain tied for second in the first round behind Roper Kiesner and even though Holman took the win in the final round with his 89 points on Beutler & Son Rodeo's Gucci Equine Foul Motion, it wasn't enough to best Fountain as he took second in the final round as well with an 88.5-point ride.

An underdog in the bull riding arena came through with a massive win, Mecate Trammell took home first in the final round thanks to a season-defining ride of 90.5-points on Beutler & Son Rodeo's Wingman. Even though he landed in a tie for third in round one, it didn’t matter as that final round propelled him to the top of the leaderboard.

As only one of two cowboys, the other being Hudson Bolton, Trammell took the average and a check of $5,089, which has to feel good for a cowboy who is in his first year in ProRodeo and unranked in the world standings.

Timed Event Performances

Steer wrestlers kicked things off strong for timed event athletes in Greeley. It’s no surprise that Rowdy Parrott came in strong as he sits at No. 16 in the world standings and is on the verge of securing his sixth trip to the National Finals Rodeo.

After a four-way tie for the second spot in the first round, Parrott wasn’t going to let it happen again as he secured the win in the finals thanks to a run of 3.8 seconds. His massive 7.5 seconds on two head was enough for him to pocket $5,450 and could push him into the No. 15 spot.

James Arviso and Levi Lord dominated in the team roping as their average time on two head was nearly two whole seconds faster than the second-place team. Things were fast in the team roping arena as team after team kept pushing each other faster.

Arviso and Lord secured the top spot thanks to their 15.3 seconds on three heads, but rounds one and two were quick for everyone. Mere milliseconds separated the top three spots in those rounds, so it was thanks to the pair’s second-place finish and 4.9-second run in the finals that secured them the biggest check of $6,662 each.

Tie-down ropers rounded out the timed events and brought in a great deal of actions for those in the stands. Throughout all three rounds, the win could have fallen into anyone's hands as every cowboy was at the top of their game.

It was Dalton Porch, with a run of 8.1 seconds who took round one, Riley Webb secured round two in 7.4 seconds and Chance Oftedahl won the finals in 9.0 seconds. It was any man’s win by the end, but one cowboy remained the most consistent, which ultimately led to Brodey Clemons, winning the average thanks to his performance of 29.1 seconds on three heads. He pocketed $6,679 thanks to the win.

Barrel Racing Action

Barrel racers took well to three rounds of action in Greeley as the time to beat got faster each time one of these cowgirls entered the arena. Christine DeRenzo set the bar high in round one with her run of 17.41 seconds, but Raelin Jurgens had her beat in the second round with a run of 17.10 seconds.

The final round may have gone to Ceily Simpton and her time of 17.13 seconds but it wasn’t enough to beat Jurgens as she took home the average win thanks to an impressive 51.93 seconds on three heads, earning her a check of $4,597.

It was consistency that won these athletes their titles in Greeley, Colorado earlier this week, and it’s consistency that will take some of them all the way to Las Vegas come December.

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