BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN
One of the breakout stars of the NFR, Tristan Martin, and fellow Louisiana cowboy Tyler Waguespack have already put some distance between themselves and the rest of the bulldoggers in 2022.
Martin has competed in just three rodeos this year and he has won big at all of them. In Denver, he finished second in the Finals, but actually ended up with more money than any other bulldogger, bringing over $11,000 on his four runs. He then went on to be the champion in Fort Worth, which won him more than $24,000 overall. And in San Antonio, he made the Finals and won $7,500. In the 2022 season, eight of Martin’s 13 runs have been 4.2 seconds or faster.
MARTIN’S 3.9 SECOND RUN TO WIN FORT WORTH
Waguespack, the reigning World Champion, finished second in San Antone and made $16,500. He also was the second-highest money earner in the bulldogging in Denver with just over $9,000. Waguespack has nine runs of 4.2 seconds or faster in the 2022 season.
Another big mover after San Antonio was the event champion J.D. Struxness. The Minnesota cowboy went from outside the Top 20 just two weeks ago all the way up to No. 3 in the PRCA Steer Wrestling World Standings. Struxness won close to $21,000 in San Antone and was also the steer wrestling champion at La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros in Arizona, which concluded on Feb. 27. Six of his seven runs at those two rodeos were faster than five seconds and in San Antonio, he was sub-four three times.
STRUXNESS’ 3.4 SECOND RUN TO WIN SAN ANTONIO
Right outside the Top 5 are two cowboys who had a boatload of success to end the 2010s, but have failed to qualify for the NFR each of the last two years.
The 2019 World Champion, Ty Erickson, is No. 7 in the PRCA World Standings. Erickson climbed into the Top 10 by winning $9,000 in San Antonio. He finished in the Top 10 six consecutive years between 2014-2019.
Kyle Irwin qualified for five NFRs from 2014-2019 and finished in the Top 5 twice. He appears to be finding his top form again in 2022 after finishing 24th in 2021 and 28th in 2020. This year, he won $8,500 combined during Denver and San Antonio and also had luck had several smaller Florida rodeos.
IRWIN’S 3.3 SECOND RUN IN SAN ANTONIO
Also in the Top 20 are two cowboys who have had a taste of their first NFR action in recent years.
Bridger Anderson qualified for the first and only time in 2020 and is in the No. 11 spot. The North Dakota cowboy won a round at the Dixie National and finished in the Top 3 in three rounds in San Antonio. He is currently averaging 5.76 seconds per run.
Dirk Tavenner made his presence felt in Las Vegas in December when he won four Go-Rounds in his first NFR appearance. He is currently 18th in the world standings thanks to his win at the Wilderness Circuit Finals in November.
| RANK | NAME | EARNINGS |
| 1. | Tristan Martin | $43,268 |
| 2. | Tyler Waguespack | $37,272 |
| 3. | J.D. Struxness | $31,012 |
| 4. | Jesse Brown | $23,591 |
| 5. | Paden McIntyre | $22,700 |
| 6. | Rowdy Parrott | $22,481 |
| 7. | Ty Erickson | $20,820 |
| 8. | Taz Olson | $19,664 |
| 9. | Cameron Morman | $19,188 |
| 10. | Will Lummus | $18,755 |
| 11. | Bridger Anderson | $18,327 |
| 12. | Dalton Massey | $16,854 |
| 13. | Kyle Irwin | $16,122 |
| 14. | Dakota Eldridge | $15,810 |
| 15. | Sterling Lambert | $14,977 |
| 16. | Mike McGinn | $13,325 |
| 17. | Justin Shaffer | $13,205 |
| 18. | Dirk Tavenner | $12,988 |
| 19. | Wyatt Jurney | $12,619 |
| 20. | Nick Guy | $11,924 |
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