Cowboys, cowgirls punch their tickets to the short go at the College National Finals Rodeo (2024)

The final field is set.

With qualified rides and fast times, a handful of cowboys and cowgirls punched their tickets to Saturday's short go-round of the College National Finals Rodeo on Friday at the Ford Wyoming Center.

The final performance of the third go-round even produced two new average leaders in saddle bronc rider Gus Gaillard of Tarleton State and tie-down roper Koby Douch of Hill College.

Gaillard had his third 78.5-point ride of the week, this time on Harry Vold Rodeo's Dancing Girl, to overtake Tarleton State teammate Ira Dickinson for the lead in the average. Gaillard enters the short go with 235.5 points while Dickinson, who won the third go with an 84.5, has 234.0 points.

"He’s my best friend and my traveling partner," Gaillard said of Dickinson. "This is all we do; we eat, sleep and breathe it so 1-2 only makes sense.

"We started last year when he was a transfer and I was a freshman," he added. "We were already good bronc riders but we’ve progressed so much. I don’t see why we can’t be at the NFR together next year."

First things first. Gaillard knows he'll have to do better than a 78.5 if he wants to take a victory lap Saturday.

"Yeah, hopefully I score higher tomorrow," he said. "Ira is right on my heels and he ain’t gonna let off and I ain’t neither. We’re here for a national title and we’re here for a team title so hopefully we can get that done.

Bull riding

For the third year in a row Brad Moreno will ride on Saturday night. This time, though, the New Mexico State cowboy, who made it back as the final qualifier the past two years while riding for Central Arizona College, will be competing for a top-two finish.

On the final ride of the night Moreno scored 73.5 points on Western Rodeo's Mud Flap to jump to fourth in the average with 144.5 points on two head.

"I really didn’t know that bull," Moreno admitted, "but when they told me they wanted to put him last I knew he must be a good one."

Western Oklahoma State College's Jesse Hopper also had his second qualified ride of the week -- scoring 77.0 points on Frontier Rodeo's Full Pursuit -- and sits third in the average with 152.0 points.

Clarendon College freshman Wacey Schalla, who won all three go-rounds, leads the average with 247.5 points. Wharton County Junior College's Zeke Martinez is a distant second with 160.5 points.

Bareback bronc riding

Missouri Valley College's Ty Pope knows what it takes to win the college finals after leaving Casper as the national champ two years ago.

He had a 79.5 on Western Rodeo's LoveLock on Friday to put himself in position to win it again.

Pope is third in the average with 239.0 points, trailing defending national champ Weston Timberman of Clarendon College, who has 242.0 points and Gillette College's Cooper Filipek, who has 239.5. Filipek won the third go with an 83.5.

Tie-down roping

Douch continued his impressive CNFR debut with a 9.0-second run to place fifth in the go-round and give him a three-run time of 27.1 seconds. The University of West Alabama's is second with a 28.4.

Southwest Texas Junior College's Riley Webb won the go with a 7.6-second run.

Barrel racing

Montana State's Tayla Moeykens, the 2021 national champ, won the third go with a 13.70-second run -- the fastest of the week -- to move within striking distance of defending national champ Taycie Matthews from the University of West Alabama.

Matthews leads the average with a three-run time of 41.66 seconds; Moeykens is second with a 41.72.

Breakaway roping

The University of West Alabama's Lauren Booty, who led the average after two go-rounds, had a 3.6-second run -- her slowest of the week -- to drop to third in the average with a three-run time of 7.8 seconds.

Texas A&M's Madalyn Richards is atop the average leader board with a three-run time of 6.7 seconds, followed by Cuesta College's Fallon Ruffoni with a 7.4.

Haliegh Grant of Cal Poly SLO won the go with a 1.8.

Team roping

Southern Arkansas teammates Brody Webb and Hayden Clay had a 7.2 to become just the fourth team with three qualified runs That put them fourth in the average with a time of 41.6 seconds.

South Dakota State's Lan Fuhrer and Black Hills State's Clayton Backhaus lead the average with a three-run time of 23.5 seconds.

The University of Wyoming's Bodie Mattson and Casper College's Roan Weil won the go with a 4.7 and are ninth in the average with a time of 17.7 seconds on two head.

Goat tying

Tarleton State's Rayme Jones continues to lead the average with a three-run time of 18.7 seconds, while Colorado Mesa's McKenna Clingman, a native of Laramie, is second with a 19.3

Texas A&M's Richards, who is leading the all-around standings, won the third go with a 6.0.

Defending all-around champ and Yoder cowgirl Haiden Thompson of Gillette College had a 6.9 to qualify in the No. 7 hole with a 20.4.

Steer wrestling

Nothing changed at the top as Utah Valley University's Sam Carson remained atop the average leader board with a three-run time of 13.2 seconds followed by Northwestern Oklahoma State's Trsyn Kalawai'a with a 15.5.

Montana State's Jaden Whitman won the go with a 3.8.