BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
JC Yeahquo, Clint Summers and Dustin Egusquiza have opened up a bit of breathing room between themselves and the rest of the field, but if there’s any event things can change fast, its the team roping.
Last year at this time, Tyler Wade was outside the Top 20 and had just gotten a new partner. Flash forward eight months and he won his first Gold Buckle in Las Vegas.
In just the last two weeks, the No. 1 ranking has already gone from JC Yeahquo to Clint Summers and back.
No. 1 JC Yeahquo, $67,339
Yeahquo won most of his money, $54,375 of it, during RodeoHouston, but just last two weeks he made enough at the Angelina Benefit Rodeo (Texas) and Atoka Pro Rodeo (Oklahoma) to reclaim No. 1 from Clint Summers. After finishing in the Top 30 a year ago, Yeahquo has his first NFR appearance within his sights.
No. 2 Clint Summers, $66,572
Summers found plenty of success during the Texas Swing this season. He and partner Jake Long split the Finals win San Antonio with a 3.8-second run, banked $7,750 in Houston and most recently, won the San Angelo Cinch Chute-Out with a 4.2 in the Finals. Summers finished No. 2 in 2023, the best of his career.
No. 3 Dustin Egusquiza, $64,936
In his last two rodeos, Egusquiza and partner Levi Lord have won the Angelina Benefit Rodeo (Texas) and won two rounds in San Angelo. Combined, those two events paid him $14,693. In March, the pair won the Finals and the Average in Austin.
No. 4 Jake Smith, $49,913
The 31-year-old has never been to the NFR, but has put himself in a great position heading into the Summer Run. In April, he and Douglas Rich recorded back-to-back second place finishes at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo (Nevada) and Red Bluff Round-Up (California). Both those PRCA Playoff Rodeos paid more than $5,000 and helped him go from No. 4 to No. 8 in the World. Prior to those two rodeos, he got his first big boost of the year by taking second in Houston.
No. 5 Andrew Ward, $47,984
Ward’s biggest payday of the year was for a third place finish at RodeoHouston, which stacked up $12,250 for him. Right before Houston, he and partner Tanner Braden finished second in the Average at La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros (Arizona).
No. 6 Derrick Begay, $47,911
Fresh off a 10th NFR and Average title with partner Colter Todd, Begay is right back in the Top 10. The pair won San Antonio in February and more recently, have won more than $2,500 in Red Bluff and San Angelo.
No. 7 Kaleb Driggers, $46,107
Driggers has been powered to this position by a stretch from March 14-30 in which he and partner Junior Nogueira won nearly $12,000 at five different Texas rodeos - Austin, Mercedes, Goliad, Waxahachie and Huntsville.
No. 8 Brenten Hall, $42,821
Hall and partner had a great April beginning with $4,600 in San Angelo and ending with $2,700 in Clovis (California). Between those two, they won more than $7,000 for first at the Clark County Fair and Rodeo.
No. 9 Tyler Wade, $41,653
The reigning World Champion is a combination of No. 7 Kaleb Driggers and No. 8 Brenten Hall, he had a nice go of it in Texas in March and April. He and Wesley Thorp won $3,191 in Austin, $3,700 in San Angelo and $3,100 at the Angelina Benefit Rodeo.
No. 10 Marcus Theriot, $37,389
Theriot and Cole Curry have won four rodeos this season with three of them coming in Florida. In April, the pair won $3,000 for finishing second at the San Angelo Cinch Chute-Out.
No. 11 Jake Clay, $35,552
Since March 14, Clay has won $2,300 or more at the Rio Grande Valley Livestock Show and Rodeo (Texas), Cave Creek Rodeo Days (Arizona), San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo and Clark County Fair and Rodeo.
No. 12 Clay Smith, $35,318
Smith has only made 22 runs all sesaon and the highest paying of them is by far he and Coleby Payne’s 4.5-second run to win Fort Worth. That paid $20,000 and the pair made $25,000 overall at the event.
No. 13 Cash Duty, $31,077
Duty and partner Ross Ashford have made at least $1,500 at each of the last three rodeos they have been to - Springville, Clovis and Red Bluff - all in California. During the Texas Swing, the most they made $9,000 in Houston.
No. 14 Cody Snow, $30,384
Snow is partnered up with Hunter Koch this year and the pair’s marquee win came at La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros where they won the Finals and the Average to earn just over $10,000. They also won more than $6,000 at two Texas Swing Rodeos, San Antonio and Houston.
No. 15 Coleman Proctor, $28,546
Proctor and partner Logan Medlin’s lone win of the 2024 season came at the RAM Prairie Circuit Finals back in October of 2023, but in the calendar year 2024, they did win money at all five Texas Swing Rodeos with their best finish being third in the Average in Austin.
No. 16 Lightning Aguilera, $28,396
Roping with Jonathan Torres, Aguilera’s best finish of the year came in Austin where they were second in the Finals and second in the Average. They started out the season strong by winning more than $6,000 toward the 2024 season before December of 2023.
No. 17 Cory Kidd, $28,015
Kidd made the Finals in Austin with Clay Futrell and then a few weeks later and followed it up by finishing fourth in the Average in San Angelo with Tanner Braden heeling for him.
No. 18 Luke Brown, $27,075
The 14-time NFR qualifier is back within striking distance of the Top 15 by winning money in Clark County, Red Bluff and Clovis in April. He and Travis Graves won nearly $5,000 in Red Bluff, the most of any of those rodeos.
No. 19 Chad Masters, $26,741
Masters and placed on all four runs to win money in all four rounds in Red Bluff and clam the Average. They won $9,041 overall. Before that, the most Masters made at a rodeo in 2024 was $7,750 in San Antonio.
No. 20 Brady Tryan, $24,012
Tryan and partner Calgary Smith won the Dixie National Rodeo (Mississippi) on Feb. 17, but since then they have competed in just six rodeos. In San Angelo, they won $3,109 for fourth in Round 1.
Standings current as of prorodeo.com on May 2 at 2:00 PM EST.
