Rodeo Daily

Three New Team Roping Pairings Set To Compete Together at 2025 NFR

The official team roping pairs for the National Finals Rodeo have been announced, with three new duos on the roster.
Kate Robinson|
Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The National Finals Rodeo (NFR) is drawing near and these athletes have been working all season long to see who deserves the World Champion title in each event. As the rodeo community gears up for the biggest event of the year, the final standings for professional rodeo athletes brought some major shake-ups.

The NFR kicks off in Las Vegas, Nev., December 4-13, and every team roper needs a partner to compete with. Multiple athletes were split from their partners after the top 15 were determined in the heading and heeling, so the standings created new matches for the athletes.

The headers that were without a partner after the regular season ended are Clay Smith, Kolton Schmidt and Dustin Egusquiza. The heelers are Coleby Payne, Jonathan Torres and Levi Lord. That means three new teams will need to prepare for the arena in December. 

Team Roping Duos Have Been Preparing for the National Finals Rodeo All Season Long

Only one pair has had the advantage of competing together in the past, Egusquiza and Lord. This team have been through two NFR’s together (in 2023 and 2024) and entered the Thomas and Mack arena as the No. 1 header/heeler duo last year.

Now, Egusquiza sits at No. 5 in the World Standings in the heading, while Lord is No. 4 in the heeling. The were a team at the beginning of the season, before Egusquiza decided to rope with his brother-in-law (J.C. Flake) while Lord joined header Shay Dixon Carroll for the remainder of the season. 

Schmidt (No. 14) and Torres (No. 15) will compete together for the first time at the NFR, making Smith (No. 6) and Payne (No. 6) the final new pair to enter the arena. Each pair has a solid chance at taking home the title, but the current No. 1 duo is Kaleb Driggers (header) and Junior Nogueira (heeler), the two-time World Champions.

Here are the official team roping pairings for the 2025 NFR:
(*new pairing for the NFR)

  • Lightning Aguilera/Kaden Profili
  • Kolton Schmidt/Jonathan Torres*
  • Trey Yates/Luke Brown
  • Riley Minor/Brady Minor
  • Jake Smith/Douglas Rich
  • Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham
  • Cyle Denison/Lane Mitchell
  • Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp
  • Andrew Ward/Jake Long
  • Clay Smith/Coleby Payne*
  • Dustin Egusquiza/Levi Lord*
  • Clint Summers/Jade Corkill
  • Derrick Begay/Colter Todd
  • Tanner Tomlinson/Travis Graves
  • Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira

It will be interesting to see how this plays out and what these new teams can acheive in just a few short weeks.

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Kate Robinson
KATE ROBINSON

Kate Robinson is no stranger to the world of rodeo. Growing up in Colorado and now living in South Dakota, she has always been surrounded by the sport. As a former barrel racer, Kate spends her free time attending rodeos throughout South Dakota and the Midwest. She has a passion for journalism and previously wrote and did broadcast news in Rapid City, South Dakota, covering rodeos (and all other news) in the area. She graduated with a bachelor's in Media Studies from the University of Colorado and loves to ride horses in her free time.

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