The Columbia River Circuit Champions Rodeo Fans Can’t Ignore in 2026

The Champions from the Columbia River Circuit Finals are going to be future contenders for the NFR after solid performances in Oregon.

Andy Nelson via Imagn Content Services, LLC

The circuit finals run for 2025 is heating up as athletes across the country are battling it out to see who is the best of the best in their region. The Columbia River Circuit Finals were jam-packed with athletes looking to take home a title at the end of the 2025 season. 

The three-day event took place in Redmond, Oregon and brought in the best of the best from Washington, Oregon, and Northern Idaho. Most of these athletes stepped into the arena for the final time this season and vied for a piece of the $241,761 payout. 

The top 12 athletes from each event took to the arena for each round. It was Mason Stuller who came out on top in the bareback riding with 243.5 points on three head, $3,687. Despite this final push, he finished at No. 2 in the circuit standings behind Colton Clemens ,who came in third in the average race in Oregon. 

The best saddle bronc rider in the Columbia River Circuit stayed that way over the weekend as Kade Bruno took home the win with 252.5 points on three head. Jake Clark came in second with 233 points, and Ryan Verling was far behind in third, earning 223.5 points. 

Jesse Brown (No. 2) went home with the title in steer wrestling. With a total of 14.8 seconds on three head, he beat out Kaden Greenfield, who was pushing for a spot in the top 5 of the rankings at No. 7. Justin Kimsey, who sits at No. 4 in the rankings, finished third in Oregon. 

Non-Qualifiers For The NFR This Year Are Looking Ahead To 2026

Non-NFR qualifiers came in hot to the arena for barrel racing. Hailey Garrison sits at No. 2 in the rankings behind Megan McLeod-Sprague but took home first in Oregon with 45.47-seconds rides on three head. Julia Johnson (No. 5) came in second and Jeannette Etchebarne (No. 12) had a great few days as she pulled in third despite going up against riders that were ranked higher than her.

Bull riding was not so close for the athletes competing, as only one rider managed to sit for all three rounds. Cole Hill was the only athlete who was scored for all three rounds, and that got him the circuit finals title with 227 points on three heads. Hill sits at No. 4 in the standings, but with only $14,748 made this season, that’s likely where he’ll stay. 

With the 2025 season coming to an end, these circuit finals champions are marking themselves as real contenders for a National Finals Rodeo run next season.

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