ROCHESTER, Minn. – During the final night of PBR (Professional Bull Riders) Rochester inside the Mayo Civic Center, Jake Morinec (Mokena, Illinois) rode supreme to win his first Challenger Series event of the 2024 season.

After bucking off Night Agent (Lee Bucking Stock) in 3.75 seconds and Say Your Prayers (C Check Bucking Bulls) in 3.59 seconds in the first two rounds, the Illinoian rebounded in Round 3, winning the round and seizing the lead with an event-high 87-point ride on Flash (Sterk Bucking Bulls).

Despite bucking off Summertime Blues in 5.61 seconds in the championship round, Morinec’s 1-for-4 performance was enough to take home the event title.

Morinec left Mayo Civic Center with a crucial 108 Challenger Global points.

Courtesy of a double-entry, Dustin Herman (Dudley Shoals, North Carolina) finished both second and fourth.

Herman bucked off Southern Style (C Check Bucking Bulls) in 1.8 seconds in Round 1 and failed to make the 8 on Whatever (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger/Ken Barnhart) after losing the rope in 2.4 seconds in Round 2.

He then rallied in Round 3, riding Crime Time (C Check Bucking Bulls) for 85.5 points to move up to second in the event.

Herman bucked off Chubby (Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) in Round 4 in 5.77 seconds but had already done enough to take the second spot on the podium.

His second-place finish netted him 68 Challenger Global points.

Sandwiched between Herman’s two spots in the standings was Round 1 winner Wyatt Rogers (Hulbert, Oklahoma), who finished third.

A rider for the Kansas City Outlaws on the separate PBR Camping World Team Series, Rogers roared to an early lead courtesy of an 84-point ride aboard Nitty Gritty (Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) in the opening round.

Despite being bucked off by Playing With Fire (C Check Bucking Bulls)in the second round in 2.98 seconds, the Oklahoma cowboy led the event heading into the final day of competition.

In Round 3, Rogers was bested by Count Down (C Check Bucking Bulls) in 7.42 seconds. Now in search of a second qualified ride to re-take the top spot on the leaderboard, the Oklahoman roared out of the chutes on Night Agent (Lee Bucking Stock) but was unseated after 1.7 seconds.

The bronze finish garnered Rogers a critical 64 Challenger Global points.

Herman’s fourth-place entry featured the second-highest score in the opening round, where the North Carolinian rode Apple Butter (Sterk Bucking Bulls) for 80.5 points.

Seeking to overtake Rogers, Herman rocketed out of the gate on Dr. Campbell (Nancy Haverty/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) in the second round but was unseated after 5.97 seconds.

Paired with Gangster’s Paradise (C Check Bucking Bulls) in Round 3, Herman initially sat tall before being thrown to the dirt after 3.5 seconds.

In the final round, Herman leaped out of the gate on Kevin (Lee Bucking Stock) but lost the rope after 2.24 seconds.

The fourth-place finish earned Herman another 39 Challenger Global points.

Rounding out the Top 5 was Dalton Krantz (Somers, Iowa).

Krantz hung on to Crunch Time (Sterk Bucking Bulls) for 79.5 points in Round 1 but was bucked off by Surprise Package (Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger) in the second round to finish his evening.

Entering Saturday sitting in third, Krantz was bucked off by Apple Butter in 4.98 seconds in Round 3.

With one last chance to climb the standings, the Iowa cowboy thundered out of the gate on Nitty Gritty but was unseated after a heartbreaking 7.42 seconds.

The fifth-place finish netted the Iowan 33 Challenger Global points.

Challenger Global points contribute to the Challenger Global Standings. The Top 40 at the end of the season compete in the PBR Challenger Series Championship in Las Vegas, held alongside the PBR Teams Championship. A select number of riders from the top of the 2024 Challenger Global Standings will receive a berth to the elite 2025 Unleash The Beast.

In a rank pen that allowed just six qualified rides throughout the weekend, Say Your Prayers (C Check Bucking Bulls), WSM’s Scarry Larry (WSM Auctioneers/Clay Struve/Dakota Rodeo/Chad Berger), Crusified (Lee Bucking Stock) and Night Agent (Lee Bucking Stock) were all marked 43 points to split the Bull of the Event title.

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PBR Challenger Series PBR Rochester Mayo Civic Center – Rochester, Minnesota Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points) 1. Jake Morinec, 0-0-87-0-87.00-108 Points. 2. Dustin Herman [1], 0-0-85.5-0-85.50-68 Points. 3. Wyatt Rogers [1], 84-0-0-0-84.00-64 Points. 4. Dustin Herman [2], 80.5-0-0-0-80.50-39 Points. 5. Dalton Krantz, 79.5-0-0-0-79.50-33 Points. 6. Mason Collins, 0-66.5-0-0-66.50-32 Points. Cody McCandless, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Wyatt Rogers [2], 0-0-0-0-0.00 Cole Trivette [1], 0-0-0-0-0.00 Cole Trivette [2], 0-0-0-0-0.00 Jack Kruse, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Caleb Buckwalter [1], 0-0-0-0-0.00 Caleb Buckwalter [2], 0-0-0-0-0.00 Merle Yoder, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Melvin Byler, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Mitchell Noe, 0-0-0-0-0.00 Lane Wilkins, 0-0-0-0-0.00

Photo courtesy of Andre Silva/Bull Stock Media