CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The WCRA (World Champions Rodeo Alliance) closed out the final Triple Crown of Rodeo event Saturday evening at the 2024 Rodeo Corpus Christi at the American Bank Center. The event marked barrel racer Stephanie Fryar's (Waco, Texas) third stop en route to winning the WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo.
Fryar emerged victorious in the fiercely competitive 2024 Triple Crown of Rodeo series, winning two WCRA TCR events and needing to win Rodeo Corpus Christi to claim the $1 million bonus. The annual TCR bonus, presented by Lazy E Ranch and Arena, awards $1 million to any athlete or group of athletes who win first place in any three consecutive WCRA Major Rodeos. The most recent event for the Triple Crown of Rodeo was held in January 2024 in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Fryar, a 43-year-old barrel racer, entered the event with two consecutive wins under her belt to put her in contention to be the second victor of the WCRA Triple Crown of Rodeo. In the TCR round, she faced off against 20-year-old Bayleigh Choate (Cleveland, Tennesse) and hometown cowgirl Sissy Winn (Corpus Christi, Texas). Fourth to run, Fryar needed to earn a faster run than Choate’s 14.358-second run. She entered the round with the fourth in the average from the progressive rounds. Stephanie and “Frank” shot into the arena for what could be a career-defining moment. The duo attempted to beat Choate’s but fell short, earning a 14.503-second time, good for fourth place, eliminating her from the Triple Crown of Rodeo and the $1 million cash bonus.
The bareback riding event was nothing short of thrilling as it marked the beginning of the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round, leaving fans at the American Bank Center on the edge of their seats. Mason Clements (Spanish Fork, Utah), RC Landingham (Hat Creek, California), and Nick Pelke (Mondovi, Wisconsin) rode supreme in the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round courtesy of their 84+ point rides. The three quickly became immersed in a shootout for the $15,000 Major payday in the round. Tying for the round, Landingham and Pelke became runners-up after they both delivered a critical 84-point ride, as Clements earned his second Rodeo Corpus Championship (2023) after a clutch 86.5-point ride.
The team roping title was won by the duo of header Luke Brown (Lipan, Texas) and heeler Jade Corkill (Stephenville, Texas), notching a 6.00-second run. The duo distanced themselves from the second-place team by more than four seconds. Jake Smith (Broken Bow, Oklahoma) and Douglas Rich (Weatherford, Texas) logged their runner-up position with a 10.17-second effort.
Tyler Pearson (Atoka, Oklahoma) proved unbeatable in steer wrestling. He recorded a phenomenal 4.1-second run in the progressive round and then delivered a lightning-fast 3.83-second effort in the Triple Crown of Rodeo round. This is Pearson's second WCRA victory, with his first win in 2019 at the Windy City Roundup.
The saddle bronc riding was a slugfest as Chase Brooks (Anaconda, Montana), Cash Wilson (Wall, South Dakota), and Cole Elshere (Wall, South Dakota) battled for the first-place spot. Brooks was the first contestant to go, and he set a high bar by defeating Cowboy Town with a score of 83 points. Elshere recorded a score of 83.5 in the same round. Wilson was the last to compete, and he managed to edge Elshere’s score with a score of 87.5, defeating his opponents' hopes of cashing in the $15,000 payday.
Keslie Domer (Dublin, Texas) delivered the only qualified time in breakaway roping with a stealth 2.15-second time. Domer ran a 2.00-second time in the progressive round, earning her the ground money, her first-place win and $23,500 in weekly earnings. This is Domer’s second WCRA title (2020 Royal City Roundup).
Jarvis Demery (Beggs, Oklahoma) won the tie-down title courtesy of his 7.52-second run in the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round. Demery topped Quade Hiatt’s (Canyon, Texas) 11.79 and Trevor Hale’s 14.53-second time. Clayton Sellers (Stephenville, Texas) was the only bull rider to cover, scoring an 86.5 atop Ringo.
All Rodeo Carolina event champions and earnings from the event:
Name | Discipline | Total Earnings |
Mason Clements | Bareback | $28,00.00 |
Tyler Pearson | Steer Wrestling | $20,000.00 |
Clayton Sellars | Bull Riding | $34,000.00 |
Kelsie Domer | Breakaway Roping | $23,500.00 |
Jarvis Demery | Tie-Down | $17,000.00 |
Bayleigh Choate | Barrel Racing | $29,500.00 |
Cash Wilson | Saddle Bronc | $15,000.00 |
Luke Brown & Jade Corkill | Team Roping | $20,111.00 |
The first and second-place non-drafted athletes from Rodeo Corpus Christi (minus bull riding) will qualify for the 2024 WCRA Kid Rock's Rock N Rodeo team, the Free Riders. The final team roster will be announced on Monday, May 13.
Fans can tune into the Triple Crown of Rodeo Round of the Rodeo Corpus Christi on a CBS network broadcast June 2 at 11:30 CST.
Since launching in May 2018, the WCRA and its partners have awarded more than $18.2 Million in new money to rodeo athletes. All rodeo athletes interested in learning more about the WCRA or the VRQ should be directed to wcrarodeo.com.
All results from the event can be found here.