Gold Medal Field Set For July 24 at Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo

SALT LAKE CITY (July 23, 2024) – WPRA barrel racer Jordon Briggs hails from the Lone Star State but with her success in the State of Utah she might just consider making the Beehive State her second home. Briggs has found success at the Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo presented by Zions Bank in Salt Lake City in the past, winning gold in 2022 and the silver medal just a year ago.

            Briggs of Tolar, Texas, stopped the clock in 16.98 seconds to secure her spot in the finals and a chance to add another medal to her medal count.

            "I think I just need to move to Utah, because I have really good luck here,” stated Briggs during her winner’s interview following her victory lap. "This is definitely a different year for me without Houston. I'm having to start from the bottom and work my way back to the top but luckily I'm really lucky this week in Utah so it's going to help."

            Briggs didn’t have her trusty steed Rollo available this winter, so it put her behind the eight-ball as she strives to make her fifth appearance at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Not only is there a lot of money up this week between Salt Lake City, Spanish Fork, and Ogden, but the high money winner (male and female) at these three rodeos will earn a $15,000 bonus known as the Utah Pioneer Week Top Hand Award. Although Briggs didn’t win the gold here last year, she did finish second and had success at the other rodeos to be the top female money earner. She is hoping to repeat that again this year but turn the silver medal finish into gold.

            The barrel race will be a must watch event on Gold Medal Wednesday with Hailey Kinsel and Jordon Briggs going to battle for the top. Kinsel has won the gold in Salt Lake City three times.

            The Gold Standard in Rodeo features a total of 288 competitors, who will take their shot at a share of close over three-quarters of a million in prize money and a gold, silver or bronze medal that will be awarded on Wednesday, July 24. There will be 32 competitors in all the roughstock events (Bareback riding, Saddle Bronc riding and Bull riding) and timed events (Steer Wrestling, Team Roping, Tie-down Roping, Breakaway Roping and Barrel Racing).

            World champion tie down roper Haven Meged had a gold buckle after winning the world but has yet to grace the medal stand in Salt Lake City, and Wednesday might be his time. Meged of Miles City, Montana, won the fourth performance in a time of 8.3 seconds to advance for a shot to stand on the medal stand. Kyle Lucas of Carstairs, Alberta, finished second with a 10.1 and will have a shot to take gold back to Canada.

            Prior to 2017 with the Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo started awarding medals, the only other two opportunities rodeo athletes had to compete for gold, silver and bronze were in 1988 and 2002 when the Olympic Games were in Calgary and Salt Lake City respectively. As part of the Cultural Arts Festival in each location, a rodeo was held pitting U.S. vs Canada.

            Canadian saddle bronc rider Kolby Wanchuk will be going for gold after posting an 86 aboard Sankey Rodeo’s Robin Hood. Wanchuk of Sherwood Park, Alberta won bronze in 2021 but he will be looking to improve on that finish tomorrow night. Ryder Wright of Beaver, Utah, will join him from the fourth performance after finishing second with an 84.5 on Sankey Rodeo’s Big Bay.

            While bareback rider Keenan Hayes captured his first gold buckle in Las Vegas last December, this will be his first chance at a gold medal on July 24 after taking the victory lap in front of a near sell-out crowd in Salt Lake City. Hayes of Hayden, Colorado, posted an 87-point ride aboard Championship Rodeo’s Big Show to advance to the finals on Wednesday. Joining him will be Jacek Frost of Browns Valley, California, after he scored an 86.5 on Sankey Rodeo’s Land of Fancy.

            The full field was divided into four groups of eight contestants each per performance. The top two scores or times per performance have now advanced to the Gold Medal Round. Scores/times from the Semi-Final performances will NOT carry forward to the Gold Medal Round (only to break ties). The eight (8) competitors in each event in the Gold Medal Round will now compete in a sudden-death format with the winner collecting a Gold Medal and $13,000 cash.

            Jace Melvin of Fort Pierre, SD, will be looking for gold on Wednesday after posting a time of 5.1-second during the fourth performance. Joining Melvin to round out our gold medal contenders is JD Struxness of Milan, Minnesota after stopping the clock in 7.4 seconds.

            Coleman Proctor and Logan Medlin were the top team in the team roping on Tuesday night with a 4.5 second run to move onto the gold medal round. Devon McDaniel and Walt Woodard will join them after posting a 5.7 second run.

            It was the best night thus far in the breakaway roping with multiple fast time, but no one was faster than Taylor Munsell with a 2.8 second run. She will now go for gold on July 24. Willow Wilson stopped the clock in 3.1 seconds to also advance to the championship round.

            It was also the best night in the bull riding with three qualified rides with the top score going to Cannon Cravens. Cravens, of Porum, Oklahoma, topped the leaderboard with an 87-point ride on Championship Rodeo’s Firetime. Utah’s own Josh Frost of Randlett was second with an 86.5 on Sankey Rodeo’s Blue Falcon. Both will be looking for their first medals tomorrow.

            The Utah Days of ’47 Rodeo presented by Zions Bank, is taking place at the $17.5 million state-of-the-art Days of ’47 Arena at the Utah State Fairpark, custom designed and built for rodeo. The venue — an outdoor arena located in the heart of Salt Lake City — features over 10,000 stadium-style seats.

            Gold medal action kicks off at 7:30 p.m. MT on July 24 at the Utah Day of ’47 Rodeo.

            Tickets are limited for the final night. For more information on the event visit www.utahdaysof47rodeo.com.

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Results: - Performance 4 – July 23, 2024

Bareback riding: 1. Keenan Hayes, Hayden, CO, 87 points on Championship Rodeo’s Big Show, $2,000; 2. Jacek Frost, Browns Valley, CA, 86.5 on Sankey Rodeo’s Land of Fancy, $1,500; 3. Cole Reiner, Buffalo, WY, 86 on Sankey Rodeo’s Bronc Riding Nation, $1,000; 4. (tie) Taylor Broussard, Estherwood, LA, on Sankey Rodeo’s Shoutin Shoes, and Richie Champion, Stevensville, MT, on Championship Rodeo’s Cajun Queen, 85, $250 each.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Garrett Shadbolt, RC Landingham, Leighton Berry, Cole Franks, Kody Lamb, Cooper Cooke, Keenan Hayes, Jacek Frost

Steer wrestling: 1. Jace Melvin, Fort Pierre, SD, 5.1, $2,000; 2. JD Struxness, Milan, MN, 7.4, $1,500; 3. Dirk Tavenner, Rigby, ID, 7.7, $1,000; 4. Cole Walker, Springtown, TX, 12.1, $500

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Jesse Brown, Gavin Soileau, Shane Frey, Don Payne, Kyler Dick, Tristan Martin, Jace Melvin, JD Struxness

Team roping: 1. Coleman Proctor, Pryor, OK/Logan Medlin, Tatum, NM, 4.5 seconds, $2,000 each; 2. Devon McDaniel, Caldwell, ID/Walt Woodard, Stephenville, TX, 5.7, $1,500; 3. Chad Masters, Cedar Hill, TN/Wyatt Cox, Arroyo Grande, CA, 9.8, $1,000; 4. Curry Kirchner, Ames, OK/Jake Edwards, Fort Ann, NY, 10.1, $500.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Marcus Theriot/Cole Curry, Shay Carroll/Jace Helton, Bodie Mattson/Trae Smith, Brentan Hall/Kaden Profili, Dawson Graham/Dillon Graham, Jake Smith/Douglas Rich, Coleman Proctor/Logan Medlin, Devon McDaniel/Walt Woodard

Saddle bronc riding: 1. Kolby Wanchuk, Sherwood Park, AB, 86 points on Sankey Rodeo’s Robin Hood, $2,000; 2. Ryder Wright, Beaver, UT, 84.5 on Sankey Rodeo’s Big Bay, $1,500; 3. (tie) Statler Wright, Beaver, UT, on Andrews Rodeos Brutus and Sterling Crawley, Stephenville, TX, on Sankey Rodeo’s Outclassed, 81, $750 each.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Dawson Hay, Kade Bruno, Brody Wells, Isaac Diaz, Ben Andersen, Allen Boore, Kolby Wanchuk, Ryder Wright

Tie-down roping: 1. Haven Meged, Miles City, MT, 8.3 seconds, $2,000; 2. Kyle Lucas, Carstairs, AB, 10.1, $1,500; 3. Garrett Jacobs, Bosque Farms, NM, 10,4 $1,000; 4. Trevor Hale, Perryton, TX, 10.5, $500

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Kincade Henry, Bryce Derrer, Riley Webb, Marty Yates, Beau Cooper, John Douch, Haven Meged, Kyle Lucas

Breakaway roping: 1. Taylor Munsell, Alva, OK, 2.8 seconds, $2,000; 2. Willow Wilson, Baggs, WY, 3.1, $1,500; 3. Jill Tanner, Stephenville, TX, 3.3, $1,000; 4. Maddy Deerman, Hope, N.M., 4.1, $500.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Shaya Biever, Rickie Fanning, Kendal Pierson, Shayla Hall, Bailey Bates, Rylee George, Taylor Munsell, Willow Wilson

Barrel racing: 1. Jordon Briggs, Tolar, TX, 16.98 seconds, $2,000; 2. Ann McGilchrist, Marysville, CA, 17.00, $1,500; 3. Kaycee Killingsworth, Thrall, TX, 17.10, $1,000; 4. Tiany Schuster, Krum, TX, 17.16, $500.

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: Dona Kay Rule, Jymmy Kay Cox, Hailey Kinsel, Shelley Morgan, Kassie Mowry, Taycie Matthews, Jordon Briggs, Ann McGilchrist

Bull riding: 1. Cannon Cravens, Porum, OK, 87 points on Championship Rodeo’s Firetime, $2,167; 2. Josh Frost, Randlett, UT, 86.5 on Sankey Rodeo’s Blue Falcon, $1,667; 3. Brady Portienier, Caldwell, ID, 82 on Championship Rodeo’s Electric Avenue, $1,167; no other qualified rides

Gold Medal Round current qualifiers: TJ Gray, Bodee Burr, Hayes Weight, Rawley Johnson, Cannon Cravens, Josh Frost, Brady Portenier, Lukasey Morris