Fresno, Calif. – As Round 1 of the PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour’s (PWVT) Walmart Health & Wellness PBR Fresno at Save Mart Center came to a close on Friday night, Jaxton Mortensen (Coolidge, Arizona) was victorious.

Being one of only five men to successfully conquer the animal athletes of the PBR, the 19-year-old cowboy went jump-for-jump aboard Badlands (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) for an 87-point ride, clinching the Round 1 win.

For his round win, Mortensen earned 28 Velocity Global points and heads into Saturday’s Round 2 leading the charge.

Velocity Global points contribute to the Velocity Global Standings and determine which new riders are added to the elite Unleash The Beast throughout the season. The Top 3 Velocity Global riders who have not already qualified are also invited to the PBR World Finals in May.

Aaron Williams (Pismo Beach, California) secured second place in Round 1 courtesy of his exciting matchup with Hard Core Slinger (Fagundes Feed & Cattle/ Diamond Bar Cattle) for 83.5 points on Friday night. In addition to sailing into Saturday’s second round, Williams earned 18 Velocity Global points.

Florida cowboy Andy Bohl (St. Cloud, Florida) and Utah’s Elijah Monnett (Glendale, Utah) tied for third place in the round with matching 83-point ride scores.

In the opening round of the weekend, Monnett, who was the first man out for the evening, was paired with Candy Cane (Clay Struve/ Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger) and was in control from the moment the gate flew open.

The 23-year-old cowboy, Bohl, punched his ticket to Round 2 on Saturday night aboard Mr. T (NS Cattle Co).

Monnett and Bohl each collected 16.5 Velocity Global points for their efforts.

Grayson Cole (New Ringgold, Pennsylvania) rounded out the Top 5 with an 81-point ride aboard his bovine opponent Old School (Dakota Rodeo/ Chad Berger/ Pronghorn Well Service).

In addition to punching his ticket to Round 2, the cowboy earned 15 Velocity Global points.

Walmart Health & Wellness PBR Fresno will continue at Save Mart Center on Saturday, April 6 at 7 p.m. PST for Round 2, immediately followed by the championship round.

PBR Pendleton Whisky Velocity Tour (PWVT) – Walmart Health & Wellness PBR Fresno Fresno, CA Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. Jaxton Mortensen, 87-0-0-87.00-28 Points. 2. Aaron Williams, 83.5-0-0-83.50-18 Points. 3. Andy Bohl, 83-0-0-83.00-16.5 Points. (tie). Elijah Monnett, 83-0-0-83.00-16.5 Points. 5. Grayson Cole, 81-0-0-81.00-15 Points. Dawson Branton, 0-0-0-0.00 Ramon de Lima, 0-0-0-0.00 Claudio Montanha Jr., 0-0-0-0.00 Dustin Martinez, 0-0-0-0.00 Marcelo Procopio Pereira, 0-0-0-0.00 Kyle Eaton [1], 0-0-0-0.00 Kyle Eaton [2], 0-0-0-0.00 Quincey McDonald, 0-0-0-0.00 Thor Hoefer II, 0-0-0-0.00 Justin Ethridge, 0-0-0-0.00 Zane Cook, 0-0-0-0.00 Briggs Madsen, 0-0-0-0.00 Dalton Rudman, 0-0-0-0.00 Edgardo Figueroa, 0-0-0-0.00 Dakota Louis, 0-0-0-0.00 Ruger Piva, 0-0-0-0.00 Andy Valdez, 0-0-0-0.00 Wyatt Nez, 0-0-0-0.00 Eli Necochea, 0-0-0-0.00 William Wright, 0-0-0-0.00 Luis Tinoco, 0-0-0-0.00 Quinten Panarra, 0-0-0-0.00 Marco Lopez, 0-0-0-0.00 Mateus Fabricio, 0-0-0-0.00 Gender Sical Ramos, 0-0-0-0.00 Dakota Johnson, 0-0-0-0.00 Pokey Houghton, 0-0-0-0.00 Francisco Villalpando, 0-0-0-0.00 Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media