LAS VEGAS — It had been a relatively discouraging trip to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo for Ty Erickson — until Thursday night.
In Round 8 at the Thomas & Mack Center, Helena's Erickson broke through with his first go-round victory in steer wrestling, bursting to a time of 3.6 seconds to claim a winning check of $33,687.
Erickson, the 2019 world champion, was shut out the previous three nights and only placed twice in the preceding seven rounds at the NFR, with his best finish being a tie for second place. But that all changed.
"It was the best start I got all week," Erickson told The Cowboy Channel after the silver buckle-winning the round.
Meanwhile, former Montana State University bulldogger Jesse Brown of Baker City, Ore., came up empty with no score in Round 8 after tying for the win a night prior.
The streak Miles City's Haven Meged has been riding in tie-down roping continued Thursday, as he placed sixth with an 8.8-second run to win $5,433. It was the fourth straight round in which Meged won a check.
Marty Yates of Stephenville, Texas, and Ty Harris of San Angelo, Texas, shared the tie-down win in Round 8 with matching 7.3-second times.
Speaking of streaks, Circle-area native and Oelrichs, S.D., cowgirl Lisa Lockhart also placed for the fourth straight night. Lockhart and her horse Levee were timed at 13.61 seconds to finish in sixth and claim a $5,433 check.
But there's no slowing down Texan Kassie Mowry, who won her fifth straight buckle by tying Shelley Morgan of Eustace, Texas, for the top spot. Morgan and Mowry — who matched a record with five consecutive go-round wins — each had times of 13.45 seconds.
It was an eventful round Thursday for rookie-of-the-year bareback rider Weston Timberman of Columbus. Timberman and Beutler & Son's Cliffhanger never made it out of the gate on their first attempt, then Timberman took a 62-point score on his second try but was granted a re-ride.
When it was all said and done, Timberman — this time aboard Championship Pro Rodeo's Hooey Rocks — scored 84.5 points on his third attempt to place sixth and earn a $5,433 check.
It was Timberman's fifth placing round out of eight at the NFR, as well as his third in a row.
Stevensville's Richmond Champion, on Smith Pro Rodeos' Girl Crush, scored 82 points and placed outside of the money. The round winner in bareback was Dean Thompson of Altamont, Utah, with an 88-point ride.
Sage Newman of Melstone just missed out on a check in saddle bronc, scoring 83 points atop Big Bucks Rodeo's Freckles. Ryder Wright of Beaver, Utah, won the round with an 88-point effort.
Canby, Ore., bull rider Chase Dougherty, another former MSU Bobcat, was thrown from Haunted Hotel of Wayne Vold Rodeo and didn't score in Round 8. The winner in bull riding was Hayes Weight of Goshen, Utah, with a score of 88 points.
In team roping, header Kaleb Driggers of Hoboken, Ga., and heeler Junior Nunes Nogueira of Spain were the Thursday-night winners with a time of 3.4 seconds, just one-tenth off the arena record.
The 2024 National Finals rodeo continues with Round 9 on Friday night at the Thomas & Mack Center. The 10th and final round is Saturday.
