Ty Erickson Dominates 2025 NFR Steer Wrestling Making Huge Jump in World Standings

Ty Erickson has found the perfect start and combination to place in all three rounds and win round three of the steer wrestling.

Nathan Meyer Photography

Three rounds into the National Finals Rodeo and the steer wrestling is proving to be a phenomenal competition.

When the dust settled after placing second in both the first and second rounds, the 2019 World Champion Ty Erickson turned in the fastest time of the NFR thus far, clocking a 3.5-second run.

Erickson is aboard his horse Crush, who is a past AQHA horse of the year. This was a big move for the Montana man as he came into the finals in the No. 14 position and has jumped to first in the average and No. 1 in the world standings.

He is hitting the start every run almost flawlessly, and it is setting him up perfectly for every steer. The sheer horsepower, combined with Ty's athleticism and great hazes by Matt Reeves, has been a deadly combination for Erickson.

How the Field Fared in Round No. 3

Nathan Meyer Photography

Bridger Anderson and Stetson Jorgensen were the only other men to record times under four seconds, and they both clocked a 3.9-second time to split the money for second/third.

The record for the fastest time in the third round at the NFR 3.1 seconds held for 20 years now by Ricky Huddleston in 1985.

Round three is the first time we've seen this set of cattle from Idaho stock contractor Anthony Verdino. This pen is the strongest and has proven to run the hardest in the yellow arena. The times were longer, but the bulldoggers stepped up for this tough set.

After a go-round win in round one Tyler Waguespack jumped up to the second position. Tucker Allen answered back, won the second round, and pushed the pack down as he took over the second-place position. After placing in all three rounds, Wags is still in the hunt for a 6th world title.

Going into round three, Will Lummus was still hanging onto the lead, but with record-breaking NFR payouts, the field is catching him fast, and each night, fans have seen huge movements in the standings.

After Lummus received another no time in round three, he has really opened up opportunities for the rest of the pack. Lummus will be looking for round wins to make up ground as he currently is last in the average.

Jesse Brown entered the NFR in the No. 2 position, but after an unfortunate no time in round three, he will have to start fighting his way back up into the top five with round wins.

No doubt, the steer wrestling has fans on the edge of their seats as every night we see big changes in the standings. It definitely will not be over until the last steer is run in round 10.

Round 3 Steer Wrestling Results

Third round:
1. Ty Erickson, 3.5 seconds, $36,668
2. (tie) Bridger Anderson and Stetson Jorgensen, 3.9, $25,431 each
4. J.D. Struxness, 4.2, $15,377
5. Kyle Irwin, 4.3, $9,463
6. (tie) Tucker Allen and Tyler Waguespack, 4.4, $2,957 each
8. (tie) Chance Howard and Rowdy Parrott, 4.5 each
10. Scott Guenthner, 4.7
11. Dakota Eldridge, 5.3
12. Justin Shaffer, 5.9
13. Gavin Soileau, 19.8
14. Jesse Brown and Will Lummus, NT.

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