DENVER, Colo. (Jan. 17, 2026) — With three performances at the National Western Stock Show Rodeo on Sunday, there was plenty of action to keep the capacity crowds engaged.
Saturday morning completed the Bracket 2. Bracket 3 started at the matinee and finished up Saturday night. Throughout the day, the loudest cheers came for Colorado competitors and no one outdid Colten Fritzlan who grew up near Rifle. Fritzlan qualified for the National Finals Rodeo (NFR) in 2020 when it was held in Texas because of the pandemic. He won the championship there for the highest total score and finished third in the world standings. The next year when the NFR returned to Las Vegas, he was outside of the top 15 at 21st. Then he started riding more on the Professional Bull Riders tours and struggled with injuries.
Last year, Fritzlan returned to the rodeo arena and again came short of accomplishing his goal of being among the top 15 that compete for world championships. He finished the season in 22nd place. That was good enough to qualify him for the big money winter rodeos – including this one. He made the most of that qualification scoring 83-points at the matinee performance and then coming back Saturday evening with an 84.5. His total of 167.5 will see him back here next Saturday for the Semi-Finals.
Fritzlan’s first ride was on a bull named Benz owned by Rocky Mountain Rodeo Company. His second one came on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Sugar Coated. His focus on rodeos is paying off with early success and his goal of qualifying for the NFR and winning a gold buckle is coming one bull at a time.
Behind Fritzlan is rising star, Hayden Welsh from Gillette, Wyoming. Welsh won the bull riding title at Colorado Versus the World one week ago in the Denver Coliseum. He rode both of his bulls here Saturday and with 161 points qualified for next Saturday’s Semi-Finals and could go on record for riding the most bulls on a Saturday in the Denver Coliseum.
There are two performances here on Sunday. Bracket 4 will start at 2:00 p.m. and finish at the 6:30 p.m. performance.
DENVER, Colo. (Jan. 17, 2026) — The following are results from the National Western Stock Show Rodeo.
Bracket 2 – Round 2
Bareback Riding: 1, Keenan Hayes, Hayden, Colo., 84 points on Generations Pro Rodeo’s On the Rocks. 3, Chet Deitz, Milo, Alberta, 83. 3, Collin Roland, Marshall, Mo., 79.5. 4, Ben Kramer, Max, N.D., 79. (advancing to Semi-Finals) 1, Deitz, 162.5. 2, Kramer, 159. 3, Hayes, 158.5.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Colten Leach, Bowie, Texas, 4.2. 2, Shayde Etherton, Borden, Ind., 4.7. 3, Riley Duvall, Checotah, Okla., 4.9. 4, Jacob Edler, Alva, Okla., 5.2. (advancing to Semi-Finals) 1, Edler, 9.6. 2, Paul Melvin. Paradise, Texas, 11.4. 3, Bray Armes, Stephenville, Texas, 20.1.
Team Roping: 1, Zane Bamson, Pintura, Utah and Kycen Winn, Annabella, Utah; and JC Archuleta, Las Vegas, N.M., and Brandon Baca, Las Vegas, N.M., 10.0 seconds each. 3, Garrett Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, and Dustin Davis, Terrell, Texas, 14.4. 4, Kyle Polich, Cortez, Colo., and T.J. Watts, Eads, Colo., 14.5. (advancing to Semi-Finals) 1, Hagan Peterson, Delta, Utah and Dylin Ahlstrom, Hooper, Utah, 20.6. 2, Barnson and Winn, 21.2. 3, Pollich and Watts, 34.8.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Q McWhorter, Petrolia, Calif., 84.5 points on Generation Pro Rodeo’s Doughboy. 2, Jackson Ford, Sturgis, S.D., 81.5. 3, Waitley Sharon, Ordway, Colo., 80. 4, Blaise Freeman, Snyder, Texas, 79. (advancing to Semi-Finals) 1, McWhorter, 165.5. 2, Sharon, 160. 3, Cooper Thatcher, Derbalara, New South Wales, 158.5.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Coltin Rauch, Herrick, Ill., 7.7 seconds. 2, Luke Coleman, Madisonville, Texas, 8.2. Jayden Broussard, Broussard, La., 11.7. 4, Wyatt Williams, Penrose, Colo., 12.7. (advancing to Semi-Finals) 1, Rauch, 18.3. 2, Coleman, 18.9. 3, Broussard, 21.0.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Shali Lord, Lamar, Colo., 15.38 seconds. 2, (tie) Fallon Forbes, O’Donnell, Texas, and. 3, Brittany Pozzi-Tonozzi, Lampasas, Texas, 15.44. 4, Jordan Bassett, Dewey, Ariz., 15.46. (advancing to Semi-Finals) 1, Forbes, 30.52. 2, Lord, 30.68. 3, C.J. Vondette, Rifle, Colo., 30.89.
Bull Riding: 1, Mason Moody, Letcher, S.D., 85.5 points on Generations Pro Rodeo’s Red Dead. 2, Dawson Gleaves, Amarillo, Texas, 85. 3, Ethan Skogquist, Elk River, Minn., 81. 4, Jestyn Woodward, Custer, S.D., 79 (advancing to Semi-Finals on one) 1,Moody, 85.5. 2, Gleaves, 85. 3, Skogquist, 81.
Bracket 3 – Round 1
Bareback Riding: 1, Sage allen, Blackfoot, Idaho, 85 points on Rocky Mountain Rodeo’s Stiletto. 2, Carson Hildre, Velva, N.D., 83.5. 3, Colt Eck, Redfield, Kan., 81. 4, Luke Thrash, Stephenville, Texas, 80.
Steer Wrestling: 1, (tie) Winsten McGraw, Gill, Colo., and Tanner Brunner, Ramona, Kan., 4.2 seconds each. 3, Jake Holmes, Mulberry, Kan., 4.4. 4, Peter Haas, Riverton, Utah, 4.6.
Team Roping: 1, Dalton Turner, Sidney, Ark., and Clay Clayman, Highlandville, Mo., 6.4. 2, Cody Lane, Torrington, Wyo., and Jesse Jolly, Agate, Colo., 6.5. 3, (tie) Clayton Van Aken, Yoder, Wyo., and Bryant Porter, Withers Rd., Texas; and Josh Kurfiss, Pueblo, Colo., and Joey Menegatti, Walsenburg, Colo., 11.5.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Ryder Sanford, Sulphur, La., 87 points on The Cervi Brothers’ Keep it Real. 2, (tie) Sawyer Earickson, Okotoks, Alberta; Shea Fournier, Raceland, La.; and Darcy Radel, Injune, Queensland, 78.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Travis Staley, Eureka, Kan., 9.6. 2, Tyler Boxleitner, Loveland, Colo., 9.9. 3, Ace Reese, Aquilla, Texas, 10.0. 4, Daxton hill, Spanish Fork, Utah, 10.8.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Jamie Olsen, Brock, Texas, 15.18. 2, Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, Okla., 15.43. 3, Katie Traut, St. Stephen, Minn., 15.45. 4, Emily Ward, Miles, Texas, 15.48.
Bull Riding: 1, (tie) Colten Fritzlan, Rifle, Colo., on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Sugar Coated and Riley Barg, Lewisville, Idaho, on Cervi Championship’s Airwolf. 3, (tie) Clayton Sellars, Fruitlandpark, Fla., and Hayden Welsh, Gillette, Wyo., 80.
Bracket 3 – Round 2
Bareback Riding: 1, Carson Hildre, Velva, N.D., 85.5 points on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s On Your Won. 2, Gauge McBride, Kearney, Neb., 84. 3, (tie) Luke Thrash, Stephenville, Texas, and Ty Hawkes, Howell, Utah, 80.5 each. (advancing to the Semi-Finals) 1, Hildre, 169. 2, Sage Allen, Blackfoot, Idaho, 163. 3, Thrash, 160.5.
Steer Wrestling: 1, Sam Gallagher, Brighton, Colo., 4.0 seconds. 2, Brandon Harrison, Cheek, Texas, 4.4. 3, David Gallagher, Brighton, Colo., 4.8. 4, Walt Arnold, Coleman, Texas, 5.0. (advancing to Semi-Finals) 1, Jake Holmes, Mulberry, Kan., 9.5. 2, David Gallagher, 11.3. 3, (on one) Sam Gallagher, 4.0.
Team Roping: 1, Josh Kurfiss, Pueblo, Colo., and Joey Menegatti, Walsenburg, Colo., 6.1 seconds. 2, Cody Lane, Torrington, Wyo., and Jesse Jolly, Agate, Colo., 8.1. 3, Gary Haynes, Orchard, Colo., and Aaron Rodriguez, Hudson, Colo., 13.5.. 4, Clayton Van Aken, Yoder, Wyo., and Porter Bryant, Withers Rd., Texas, 18.6. (advancing to Semi-Finals), Lane and Jolly, 14.6. 2, Kurfiss and Menegatti, 17.6. 3, Van Aken and Bryant, 30.1.
Saddle Bronc Riding: 1, Q McWhorter, Petrolia, Calif., 84.5 points on Generation Pro Rodeo’s Doughboy. 2, Jackson Ford, Sturgis, S.D., 81.5. 3, Waitley Sharon, Ordway, Colo., 80. 4, Blaise Freeman, Snyder, Texas, 79. (advancing to Semi-Finals) 1, McWhorter, 165.5. 2, Sharon, 160. 3, Cooper Thatcher, Derbalara, New South Wales, 158.5.
Tie-Down Roping: 1, Travis Staley, Eureka, Kan., 8.6 seconds. 2, Ace Reese, Aquilla, Texas, 8.8. 3, Cade Swor, Winnie, Texas, 9.3. 4, Ryan Jarrett, Comanche, Okla., 9.4. (advancing to Semi-Finals) 1, Staley, 18.2. 2, Reese, 18.8. 3, Bryson Sechrist, 20.7.
Women’s Barrel Race: 1, Emily Ward, Miles, Texas, 15.14 seconds. 2, Leslie Smalygo, Skiatook, Okla., 15.17. 3, Jamie Olsen, Brock, Texas, 15.30. 4, Katie Trauf, St. Stephen, Minn., 15.43. (advancing to Semi-Finals) 1, Olsen, 30.48. 2, Smalygo, 30.60. 3, Ward, 30.62.
Bull Riding: 1, (tie) Creek Young, Rogersville, Mo., on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Centerfold and Colten Fritzlan, Rifle, Colo., on Cervi Championship Rodeo’s Sugar Coated, 84.5 points each. 3, (tie) Cullen Telfer, Plant City, Fla., and Caelan Reynolds, Marana, Ariz., 82.5. (advancing to Semi-Finals) 1, Fritzlan, 167.5. 2, Hayden Welsh, Gillette, Wyo., 161. 3, Telfer, 160.5.
About the National Western Stock Show — Established in 1906, the National Western Stock Show is a 501(c) (3) charitable organization that provides college and graduate level scholarships in agricultural-related fields of study. Its mission is to serve producers and consumers throughout the world by being the premier stock show, equestrian competitions, and center for year-round events. The 16-day show also serves as an entertainment arena, hostinone of the world’s richest regular season professional rodeos, family and educational shows plus Colorado’s largest western trade show. For more information, visit nationalwestern.com.
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