PUEBLO, Colo. – There may be two more riders joining the prestigious 300 club later this season.
Veterans Cody Nance and Eduardo Aparecido look to be the next riders in line to reach 300 qualified rides on the premier series after Joao Ricardo Vieira became the 19th man in PBR history to reach the iconic club two weeks ago in Louisville, Kentucky.
Nance picked up career ride No. 289 on Friday night during Round 1 of the PBR First PREMIER / PREMIER Bankcard Invitational in Sioux Falls, South Dakota when he rode Ground Assault for 88 points.
The 33-year-old tied for third place in the round as four riders each recorded 88-point efforts: Dener Barbosa (Lil 2 Train), Colten Fritzlan (Vertigo Spy) and Marco Eguchi (Monkey).
Derek Kolbaba won Round 1 with an 89.5-point ride on Party Animal, and 2020 World Champion Jose Vitor Leme placed second with 88.25 points on Peep Show.
Nance earned 15.5 world points. He is now back inside the Top 30 of the world standings after missing the first half of 2020 because of nerve damage in his right shoulder and hip dysplasia and then being cut from the Unleash The Beast.
In fact, Nance had not recorded a qualified ride on the UTB since October 10, 2020.
The 11-time PBR World Finals qualifier had to battle his way back to the premier series this season by surging to the No. 1 ranking on the Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour standings and finding success on the Touring Pro Division. Nance is 8-for-13 at non-premier series events in 2021 and most recently had finished in third place last weekend at The Show-Me-State PBR Shootout, presented by Graven Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.
Nance will look for career ride 290 on Saturday night at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center when he squares off against Suga (1-1, UTB). Round 2 airs exclusively on RidePass beginning at 7:45 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, Aparecido notched career ride No. 282 on Friday via 85.5 points on Rudy Can Do. The 30-year-old finished Round 1 tied for 10th place.
Aparecido joined the PBR premier series in 2013 along with Vieira. He looks poised to join the man he battled back and forth with for the 2013 Rookie of the Year title that season in the 300 club in due time.
While Nance has been working his way back onto tour, Aparecido is ranked 17th in the world standings and is 9-for-21 (42.86%). Aparecido is looking to qualify for a 10th consecutive PBR World Finals this season.
Aparecido has drawn Tarabull (2-1, UTB) for Round 2.
Professional Bull Riders - PBR FIRST PREMIER BANK/PREMIER BANKCARD INVITATIONAL 4/9/2021
Sioux Falls, SD, 2021 - Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
1. Derek Kolbaba, 89.5-0-0-0-89.50-28 Points.
2. Jose Vitor Leme, 88.25-0-0-0-88.25-18 Points.
3. Dener Barbosa, 88-0-0-0-88.00-15.5 Points.
(tie). Colten Fritzlan, 88-0-0-0-88.00-15.5 Points.
(tie). Marco Eguchi, 88-0-0-0-88.00-15.5 Points.
(tie). Cody Nance, 88-0-0-0-88.00-15.5 Points.
7. Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 87.75-0-0-0-87.75-13 Points.
8. Silvano Alves, 86.25-0-0-0-86.25-12 Points.
9. Andrew Alvidrez, 86-0-0-0-86.00-11 Points.
10. Eduardo Aparecido, 85.5-0-0-0-85.50-9.5 Points.
(tie). Chase Dougherty, 85.5-0-0-0-85.50-9.5 Points.
12. João Ricardo Vieira, 85-0-0-0-85.00-8 Points.
13. Rafael Henrique dos Santos, 84-0-0-0-84.00-8 Points.
14. Junior Patrik Souza, 78.25-0-0-0-78.25
Kaique Pacheco, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cooper Davis, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cole Melancon, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Keyshawn Whitehorse, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Boudreaux Campbell, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Mauricio Gulla Moreira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Alex Cerqueira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Jess Lockwood, 0-0-0-0-0.00
João Henrique Lucas, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Teel, 0-0-0-0-0.00
J.T. Moore, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ezekiel Mitchell, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0-0.00
Kyle Jones, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Luciano De Castro, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Eli Vastbinder, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Rodrigo Melgar, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Marcus Mast, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Shane Proctor, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Thiago Salgado, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Chase Outlaw, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Wallace Vieira de Oliveira, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Jesus, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Matt Triplett, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media