FORT WORTH, Texas – Ahead of the 2025 Women’s Rodeo World Championship (WRWC), the world’s richest all-women’s rodeo, paying out a historic $802,000 this season, the Women’s Rodeo Championships (WRC) today announced the No. 1 contenders in the World Championship Race. These athletes will enter the opening rounds at the historic Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth on May 12 atop their event leaderboards.

During the 2025 Women’s Rodeo World Championship, WRC will crown World Champions in Pro, Challenger, and Limited classifications across four disciplines - team roping heading and heeling, breakaway roping and barrel racing. The qualifying athletes will compete through the event’s initial rounds on May 12-14 inside Cowtown Coliseum in Fort Worth, before turning to AT&T Stadium in nearby Arlington on May 17 for the Championship Round. World Champions will be crowned on May 14, while the World Championship event winners will be anointed on May 17. 

The event will also feature the Top 20 NIRA (National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association) athletes in the May 13 Smarty Rodeo Goat Tying Showcase.

Two-time All-Around World Champion Martha Angelone (Stephenville, Texas) leads the talent-packed field of women’s athletes, sitting atop both the 2025 All-Around standings and Breakaway Roping Pro leaderboard as she looks to add another two world titles to her laundry list of accolades.

Athletes have been earning leaderboard points through the Virtual Rodeo Qualifier (VRQ) system since April 2024. Points will continue to accrue through the conclusion of competition on May 14.
Alongside Angelone, those athletes that sit atop the WRWC leaderboards are:

Team Roping:

Pro: Katelyn Perkins (Header – Montpelier, Idaho) and Jimmi Jo Montera (Heeler – Greeley, Colorado)
Challenger: Remi Wells (Header – Central City, Nebraska) and Shanna Perkins (Heeler – Cokeville, Wyoming)

Barrel Racing:

Pro: Jordan Driver (Garden City, Texas)
Challenger: Brandie Inman (Nowata, Oklahoma)
Limited: Amy Ohrt (Victoria, Texas)

Breakaway Roping:

Pro: Martha Angelone (Stephenville, Texas)
Challenger: Karrigan Cagley (Kentwood, Louisiana)
Limited: Christa Brunori (Camp Verde, Arizona)

Goat Tying:

Jacee Graff (St. George, Utah)

Of the athletes leading their event, Angelone is the only one to have previously earned consecutive WRWC World Championships, earning the All-Around title in both 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Angelone also won the Women’s Rodeo Breakaway World Championship, a discipline she finished runner-up in last season. 

The Virginia-native cowgirl will compete in three disciplines at the 2025 iteration of the event: team roping (heading), team roping (heeling), and breakaway roping.

The 2025 Women’s Rodeo World Championship will officially begin on Sunday, May 11 with the official Tito’s Welcome Gala and Back Number Ceremony, presented by Cowgirl Magazine, at 6pm CT at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall. 

Competition gets underway May 12-14 at Cowtown Coliseum with Round One, Round Two, and Semi-Finals across all disciplines: breakaway roping, barrel racing, and team roping. Each day features a full slate of Pro, Challenger and Limited heats, followed by buckle ceremonies at Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall honoring the daily winners. 

The excitement reaches a fever pitch on May 17, when the Championship Round takes at AT&T Stadium in Arlington amid the PBR World Finals: Unleash The Beast – Championship. The Top 7 barrel racers and breakaway ropers along with the Top 6 team roping pairs will compete head-to-head in a final showdown that crowns the event champions in all disciplines. 

All rounds at Cowtown Coliseum are open to the public with free entry, giving fans the chance to experience the excitement of the WRWC up close. 

Tickets for the Championship Round on May 17 at AT&T Stadium are on sale now and can be purchased online at PBRWorldFinals.com and SeatGeek.com, or by calling (800) 732-1727. 

Since launching in May 2020, the WRWC has awarded more than $3 million in new money to women's rodeo athletes. For more information about the WRWC visit womensrodeochampionships.com.  

Photo courtesy of WRC