Utah Days of '47 Rodeo Gold Medalists Seize the Moment

Bradlee Miller, Tristen Hutchings and Tyler Calhoun were among rodeo’s best as they took home wins at the Utah Days of '47 Rodeo.

Saddle Bronc Riding | Nathan Meyers Photography

The Utah Days of ‘47 Rodeo took over Salt Lake City over the weekend, and these athletes came to play hard and win big. With the 2026 regular season hitting its peak, now is the most crucial time for cowboys and cowgirls to win, and performances here did not disappoint. 

As an added bonus to the championship title and the paychecks that go with it, the champions are awarded gold medals as a unique reminder of the payoffs that come with hard work.

Rough Stock Riders

Brody Wells | Fernando Sam-Sin

Bareback riders set the bar high right out of the gate for what was an action packed week over rodeo. Throughout four rounds, these cowboys brought their A-games, as Jess Pope set the bracket standard with an 89-point ride during bracket two. 

With eight cowboys heading to the finals on Saturday night, the energy in the arena was buzzing as current world standings leader, Bradlee Miller came into the arena on fire. This win was huge for the cowboy as he looked to secure his place on top, and this 90-point ride on Championship Pro Rodeo's Hooey Rocks did that for him. He secured another $18,000, just furthering his lead in the world standings.  

Bareback Riding Finals:
1. Bradlee Miller, 90 points on Championship Pro Rodeo's Hooey Rocks, $18,000
2. Kade Sonnier, 89, $13,000
3. Jess Pope, 88.5, $8,000
4. Carson Hildre, 88, $4,000
5. Cole Franks, 87.5, $2,500
6. Nick Pelke, 85.5, $2,000
7. Owen Brouillette, 81, $1,500
8. Taylor Broussard, NS, $1,000.

Saddle bronc riders saw some of the highest scores of the season in Utah. A 90-point ride became the ride to beat during bracket four from Ryder Wright, while it was enough to land the cowboy in the finals, his competitors weren’t backing down.

Brody Wells inched into the finals thanks to his second place finish during bracket three, but he was not going to let that be the end of his story. He came into the arena during the finals with something to prove, and Wells left a winner with a 90.5-point ride on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo's Larry Culpepper for that $18,000 check.

Saddle Bronc Finals:
1. Brody Wells, 91.5 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo's Larry Culpepper, $18,000
2. Ryder Wright, 89.5, $13,000
3. (tie) Sage Newman and Cash Wilson, 89, $6,000 each
5. Brody Cress, 88.5, $2,500
6. (tie) Jake Finlay and Q Taylor, 88, $1,750 each
8. Coleman Shallbetter, 87, $1,000.

Rounding out the rough stock, were the bull riders who put on quite the show. It was again in bracket four when the highest score was set from John Crimber who nailed down 90 points to get him to the final. While Tristen Hutchings only scored an 88 for the win in bracket three, he was not going to let Crimber best him in the finals.

With seven qualifying rides, Hutchings came out on top with 85 points on Diamond G Rodeo's Tesla. He scored the biggest check of the week with $18,143, solidifying him at No. 2 in the world standings. Crimber came in behind him for a tie for second with Quinn Andersen.

Bull Riding Finals:
1. Tristen Hutchings, 85 points on Diamond G Rodeo's Tesla, $18,143;
2. (tie) ***Qynn Andersen - $2,643, John Crimber - $13,143, TJ Gray - $8,143, Koby Jacobson - $2,143, Clayton Sellars - $4,143 and Sam Southern - $1,643; no other qualified rides. *(all totals include ground money).*** Tie breaker used to determine payout

Timed Event Winners

Steer wrestlers came in hot in Utah as nearly every qualifying ride for the finals was under five-seconds flat. These cowboys were pushing each other hard as Jace Melvin entered the arena during bracket four and secured the fastest bracket run at 3.8 seconds. 

While that was enough to move Melvin to the final rounds, things continued to speed up for all competitors. The time to beat in the final rounds was the 3.8-second time set again by Melvin (round one) and Chance Howard during round two. Unexpectedly, Cash Robb blazed into the arena during the finals, securing a win thanks to a run of 3.7-seconds, just what he needed to take home $18,000.

Steer Wrestling Finals:
1. Cash Robb, 3.7 seconds, $18,000
2. Mason Couch, 4.2, $13,000
3. Rowdy Parrott, 4.5, $8,000
4. Jace Melvin, 4.7, $4,000
5. (tie) Colin Fox and J.D. Struxness, 4.8, $2,250 each
7. Traver Johnson, 5.1, $1,500
8. Kaden Greenfield, NT, $1,000.

Team roping pairs did not want to give each other an inch during their time in the arena. Competitors continued to be neck and neck all the way through the final round, which is why two teams tied for that first-place spot. 

After working hard to enter those final rounds, Clay Smith, Coleby Payne, Cody Snow, and Lane Mitchell split the win thanks to runs of 5.1 seconds each. While Smith and Payne were the pair to beat coming in, Snow and Lane weren’t going to give up that easily. With the tie, each cowboy went home with $15,500. 

Team Roping Finals:
1. (tie) Clay Smith/Coleby Payne and Cody Snow/Lane Mitchell, 5.1 seconds, $15,500 each
3. Brye Crites/Ross Ashford, 5.2, $8,000
4. Tanner Tomlinson/Wesley Thorp, 14.2, $4,000
5. Cory Kidd V/Carson Johnson, 14.4, $2,500
6. (tie) ***Jr. Dees/Landen Glenn - $2,000, Coleman Proctor/Travis Graves - $1,500 and Clay Tryan/Will Woodfin - $1,000.

The final timed event was one to watch as tie-down ropers went into the finals with mere tenths of a second separating them. While John Douch had the speed during bracket three for a 7-second run, the fastest during the brackets, it wasn’t enough to land him in the finals.

It was Tyler Calhoun who set the time to beat at 7.2 seconds, and it became clear that he was going to take home the win as the next time to beat was 7.4 seconds from Joel Harris. 

Tie-Down Finals:
1. Tyler Calhoun, 7.2 seconds, $18,000
2. Joel Harris, 7.4, $13,000
3. Blane Cox, 7.5, $8,000
4. Brey Yore, 7.9, $4,000
5. Britt Bedke, 8.0, $2,50
6. Bo Pickett, 9.0, $2,000
7. Ty Harris, 9.1, $1,500
8. Semaj Collins Jr., 18.1, $1,000.

Barrel Racing Action

McKenna Coronado | Fernando Sam-Sin

Some of barrel racing's best went head-to-head at Days of ‘47; from Lisa Lockhart to Carlee Otero, these ladies wanted that $18,000 check. Otero entered the arena during bracket one to take home the win there with 17.43 seconds, moving on to the finals. While Lockhart grabbed the bracket three win with a faster time of 17.14 seconds, the time to beat came out during bracket four when McKenna Coronado blazed through in just 17.03 seconds.

While some may have doubted an underdog, KariAnn Cross won bracket two with a run of 17.22 seconds and she rode that momentum into the finals. She was the cowgirl to take home $18,000 thanks to her ride of 16.96 seconds, one of the only rides under 17 seconds all weekend. 

With time running out for this season, a win at a rodeo like this is huge for athletes looking to land in the top 15 and take a trip to the National Finals Rodeo come December. 

Barrel Racing Finals:
1. KariAnn Cross, 16.96 seconds, $18,000
2. Hayle Gibson-Stillwell, 16.97, $13,000
3. McKenna Coronado, 17.03, $8,000
4. Gracen Harman, 17.07, $4,000
5. Lisa Lockhart, 17.15, $2,500
6. Carlee Otero, 22.12, $2,000
7. Megan McLeod-Sprague, 22.26, $1,500
8. Whitley Sharp, 27.53, $1,000.

Golden Girls in Breakaway Roping

The breakaway roping event continues to grow both in numbers and popularity among contestants and fans. The ladies bring the fastest event to the arena floor and don’t disappoint in talent and performances.

None were better than Beau Peterson in the final round. Peterson has built a name for herself in the roping world, where she is often seen in the winner's circle at futurities, jackpots, and rodeos.

Finals:
1. Beau Peterson, 2.2 seconds, $18,000
2. Shelby Boisjoli-Meged, 2.6, $13,000
3. Maddy Jacobs, 2.7, $8,000
4. Hali Williams, 2.9, $4,000
5. Amy Ohrt, 3.2, $2,500
6. Cadee Williams, 12.0, $2,000
7. Rylee A George, 12.1, $1,500
8. Laramie Jackson, NT, $1,000.