College rodeo’s highest honors were awarded in the famed town of Casper, Wyoming. Crowning the 2026 top honors of the National Intercolligant Rodeo Association (NIRA), top colligent talents and teams were on full display in Casper.
The bareback riding remained one of the closest events of the week, with the top three competitors separated by just two points entering the final round. Tarleton State University freshman Daxtyn Feild delivered the highest-marked ride of the night, scoring 85 points aboard Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics’ Lewandowski’s Shoutin’ Shoes.
Feild began the evening in third place but moved into the lead with his final-round performance. When the dust settled, Feild, Heimburg and Clarendon College’s Carson Hildre finished tied atop the standings with 326.5 points on four rides.
The championship marked the fourth and final CNFR appearance for Heimburg, a native of San Tan Valley, Arizona. Feild, of Roosevelt, Utah, is following in the footsteps of his uncle, six-time PRCA world champion bareback rider Kaycee Feild, who won the CNFR title in 2008. Hildre, from Velva, South Dakota, was making his first CNFR appearance for a Clarendon College program known for producing collegiate champions.
Tie-down roper Tyler Hansen opened the week strong and finished the same way. The Bismarck State College senior secured the national title with a cumulative time of 38.3 seconds. Hansen, of Killdeer, North Dakota, also qualified for the CNFR in team roping. Although he did not place in Saturday’s finals, his performances throughout the week earned him the men’s all-around championship.
In the breakaway roping, Texas Tech University’s Jessi Everett claimed the national title with a four-head time of 9.9 seconds. The communications major from Texas was all smiles as she took the coveted title back to the Lone Star State. .
Clarendon College’s Tagg Bond made history in saddle bronc riding, leading every round of the competition. The Eden, Kansas, native won all three preliminary rounds before capping the week with an 85-point ride aboard Sankey Pro Rodeo and Phenom Genetics’ Badger Mountain in the finals. His aggregate score of 340 points secured the championship by 17 points and earned him Men’s Rookie of the Year honors.
Clarendon College added another individual title in steer wrestling, where Andrew Morian of Gardnerville, Nevada, claimed the championship. Morian entered the finals with a commanding lead, and a fourth-place finish Saturday was enough to secure the title with a four-head time of 17.1 seconds. The victory helped propel Clarendon to the men’s team championship.
The goat-tying title was also highly contested throughout the week of close competition. University of Wyoming junior Josie Mousel entered the finals with a narrow lead and maintained it with a 6.4-second run. Her aggregate time of 24.4 seconds earned her the national championship. Mousel, who is pursuing a degree in agricultural communications, also earned points in breakaway roping and captured the women’s all-around title.
The Northwest Region claimed the team roping championship behind Marcus Marriott and Sam Saunders. Marriott, a sophomore at Blue Mountain Community College from Canby, Oregon, headed for Saunders, a freshman at Treasure Valley Community College from Homedale, Idaho. Their 4.4-second run in the finals gave them a four-head time of 23.1 seconds and the national title.
Texas A&M University’s Devin Young captured the women’s barrel racing championship despite not placing in the final round. The freshman from Smithville, Texas, posted a four-head time of 55.0 seconds to secure the title. Young, who plans to attend pharmacy school, also helped lead the Aggies to the women’s team championship and was named Women’s Rookie of the Year.
The bull riding championship belonged to Odessa College’s Hayden Welsh, who received strong support from the Wyoming crowd. Welsh, who grew up near Gillette, Wyoming, followed his father, Bobby Welsh, into the sport but forged his own path through collegiate rodeo.
After finishing eighth at the CNFR a year ago, Welsh entered the finals ranked first with 163.5 points on two rides. He was one of only four riders to make a qualified ride in the championship round, posting the event’s highest score, 88.25 points aboard Summit Pro Rodeo’s Who’s Your Daddy. The performance secured the national championship.
With the 2026 capter of collegiate rodeo officially closed, many athletes are already looking forward to punching their ticket to Casper next year, where the 2027 event will return to the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper from June 13-19.