NFR Qualifier Summer Kosel Headlines Winners at Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo

The 2026 rodeo season is well on its way to crowning its champions in just a few months. With every athlete in the game looking to secure their spot in the top 15, winners of the Corn Palace Stampede Rodeo took home some cash to add to their season earnings, hopefully putting them one step closer to heading to the National Finals Rodeo.

Rough Stock Round-up

These rodeo athletes took over Mitchell, South Dakota with a bang. Hunter Greenup set the standard in the bareback riding, despite being unranked, he pulled in his best ride of the season, marking his first rodeo win since January. The cowboy pulled in 87-points on Harper & Morgan Rodeo Co's Hello Jackson, and earned his biggest check of the season at $2,420.

Another unranked athlete landed on top of the saddle bronc riding as Tagg Bond stepped in and blew his competitors away. The young cowboy is already making his mark as he took home the win thanks to an 87-point ride on the back of Sutton Rodeos' Leave Me Alone. He took home nearly $3,000, which is huge for the cowboy as he is still trying to make his way in the professional arena.

With only four qualified rides in bull riding, the winner pulled in the biggest check of the rodeo at $3,267. Hudson Williams defied all odds as the unranked cowboy set the bar high with 84 points on Sutton Rodeos' Ooey Gooey. While it might not be his year to head to the Thomas & Mack, the cowboy is proving he has what it takes to pull in some big wins.

Timed Event Winners

Steer wrestling might just be the fastest event in rodeo, and the cowboys in Mitchell were no exception as they blazed into the arena, with the winning time being under 4-seconds. It was Landon Sivertsen who pulled in the first place time of 3.9-seconds to nail down his steer, taking home $2,638.

Team ropers Cole Smith and Ryan Von Ahn secured their spot at the top by the skin of their teeth. The win earned them $2,700 each, but it wasn’t an easy win as they only beat out the second place team by a millisecond. This duo earned the first place spot thanks to their run of 4.8 seconds, compared to Tyler Hobert and Cooper Bruce who took second with a run of 4.9 seconds.

Wrapping up the timed events were the tie-down ropers, and these cowboys came in to put on a show. The fastest time was so hard to beat that two cowboys tied for the first place spot, each securing $2,060. Clay Ellis and Dalton Porch were not letting the other get the upper hand as they tied up their calves in the same 8.6-second split.

Barrel Racer On Top

An icon landed on top of the barrel racers in Mitchell as Summer Kosel beat out her competitors by nearly five-tenths of a second. The cowgirl earned herself $2,546 thanks to her run of 17.03 seconds. Every check will count for her as she works to secure her spot in the top 15 as she sits at No. 12 in the world standings. She is up against some big competition this week as some of her peers took home wins at some iconic rodeos including California Salinas and the NFR Open at the Pikes Peak or Bust Rodeo.

As each of these athletes work to land at the Thomas & Mack arena at some point in their career, these underdogs are proving they can earn those high scores and land at the top of the leaderboard.

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