As athletes enter the final week of the 2025 Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) season, many National Finals Rodeo (NFR) storylines have already begun to take shape. Among them is the standout season of San Angelo, Texas, native Dylan Hancock, who at just 21 years old has secured his second ticket to the sport’s biggest stage — the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Earning his stripes as a tie-down roper, Hancock has also showcased his versatility as a team roper, claiming top All-Around Cowboy honors at prestigious rodeos including the Pendleton Round-Up, Horse Heaven Round-Up and Killdeer Mountain Roundup PRCA Rodeo.
With less than a week remaining in the regular season, Hancock sits fifth in the world standings in the tie-down roping with more than $161,000 in earnings — well above the threshold needed to punch his ticket to Las Vegas.
This marks a stark contrast to 2024, when Hancock qualified for his first NFR after a gritty, last-minute push to sneak in on the bubble.
“This year feels a lot better,” Hancock said with a smile. “I felt the pressure of the bubble last year.”
Hancock has capped his late-season run with milestone victories, including sweeping the All-Around and Tie-Down Roping titles at the iconic Pendleton Round-Up in Pendleton, Oregon.
While the end of the PRCA season is not yet here, Hancock remains focused on the present, even as thoughts of returning to Las Vegas creep in.
“I’ve thought about it [Hancock’s second NFR qualification], but I don’t think it’s fully set in yet,” he said. “When it does, it’ll hit home — and it’ll be pretty cool.”
This year, Hancock attributes his success to simplifying his approach.
“I just tried to keep things simple and make the same run every time,” he explained. “You have to leave the bad behind and go with the good.”
That mindset has led to a season filled with memorable wins, victories shared with his close friend and traveling partner Cole Clemons, and special celebrations with family.
From California Rodeo Salinas to Sisters Rodeo and Pendleton, Hancock has checked off bucket-list wins along his 2025 NFR campaign. Most recently, he claimed a combined $19,154 at the Pendleton Round-Up, highlighted by a blistering 8.6-second run on the famed Green Mile to win the tie-down roping title.
Hancock’s run vaulted him from the middle of the aggregate standings to the top, finishing 1.3 seconds ahead of reserve champion Joel Harris.
“It’s one of those wins, at a rodeo like this, that just doesn’t get much better,” Hancock said. “It’s pretty surreal.”
Pendleton, known for its unique grass arena and deep rodeo tradition, presented Hancock with a challenge unlike any other.
“You have to read your calves differently and come in with a different game plan,” he explained. “It’s nothing like anywhere else — it’s pretty special. By this point in the season, everyone’s been through so much, so to be able to celebrate there is really special.”
Hancock’s momentum carried into the team roping, where he and Clemons put together three clean runs to finish fifth in the aggregate, earning $5,080 and securing Hancock’s coveted All-Around title.
“There’s a lot that goes into an All-Around win, a lot that most people don’t see,” Hancock said. “I was pretty fortunate to get it done. I kind of had it in the back of my mind, like everyone who enters multiple events at Pendleton, but things just worked out.”
Hancock was quick to credit his support system.
“My family has done so much for me — I can’t thank them enough,” he said. “I’ve had so many friends and family help me along the way and down the road. I’m just so grateful.”
Hancock will close out his season at the CINCH Playoffs Governor’s Cup in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, before returning home to prepare for his second NFR appearance.
“When it’s all said and done, I’ll be ready to get back to the homestead,” Hancock said. “There’s a lot that goes into this life that people on the outside might not see — but it’s all worth it in the end.”