By Kirk Copeland
Frontier Rodeo Media
(318) 525-8853
kirk@frontierrodeo.com

Sunday, April 26th

(Corpus Christi, TX.) – Shelby Hermann electrified the crowd at the 24th Annual Buc Days PRCA Pro Rodeo at American Bank Center in Corpus Christi Sunday, bettering the previous-best time in barrel racing by nearly a full tenth of a second as the four-day event came to a close.

JoJo LeMond, who won two events he entered, took home the all-around cowboy title.

In all, champions were crowned in eight events and all-around as over 500 cowboys and cowgirls competed for over $200,000 in prize money.

Other winners from the weekend were Bill Tutor (bareback riding), Riley Duvall and Justin Blain Davis (steer wrestling), Logan and Jordan Olson (team roping, go-round 2), LeMond and Josh Patton (team roping, aggregate), Joseph Gernentz (tie-down roping), LeMond (steer roping), Jacobs Crawley and Isaac Diaz (saddle bronc riding), and Kanin Asay (bull riding).

Frontier Rodeo, one of the nation's premier livestock contractors, provided 236 heads of livestock, including 36 bulls and 50 horses for the event. Award-winning bucking horses Medicine Woman and Maple Leaf were among the top-notch animals provided by Frontier.

LeMond won the team roping go-round one and team roping average, and also competed in tie-down roping and steer roping. With his victory this weekend, he moved up in the all-around cowboy world standings to seventh.

Hermann turned in a time of 13.56 seconds to overtake Callie DuPerier, who clocked a 13.65 Saturday night.

“I could tell when I got on the horse it was going to be a good ride,” said Hermann, a qualifier in the National Finals High School Rodeo her junior year. “I knew the ride was going really good, but when I got around the last barrel and the crowd kind of blew up, it gave me that little bit extra. I was really excited when I saw the time.”

Following Hermann and DuPerier in third place was Hanna Forbes, who posted a 13.67 on Friday night. Fourth place went to Cassidy Kruse, who ran a 13.70, while Britany Diaz, Isaac’s wife, took fifth with a 13.74.

In the final performance in bareback, Evan Jayne of Marseille, France, turned in the best Sunday score with an 83 on the back of Frontier Rodeo’s Billy the Kid, but it was only good enough for fifth overall. Tutor, ranked 19th in the world standings, rode Times Up to an 88 Thursday to take the overall title, with Bobby Mote (Saturday on Showstomper) and Tim O'Connell (Saturday on Sonora) finishing second with 85s.

Dean Stermer turned in the best time in steer wrestling Sunday at 7.8 seconds, but Duvall and Davis held on for the overall title (4.5 seconds in 1st performance). Jacob Talley (4.9) placed third overall and Hunter Cure (5.0) rounded out the top four.

Cody Russell and Wesley Johnson posted the top time (5.6 seconds) of Sunday's performance in team roping to finish Go-round 2 in third place behind the Olsons (5.1), and Blaine Vick and Twister Cane (5.3). LeMond and Patton win the aggregate with a time of 10.6 in two rides, while Caleb Mitchell and Steve Northcott (11.4/2) take second and the Olson boys finish third (11.6/2).

After the finals performances in saddle bronc riding, Clay Elliott had Sunday's best ride with a score of 77 on the back of Dancing Girl, but Crawley (Thursday on Griz) and Diaz (Saturday on two-time bucking horse of the year Medicine Woman) finished in a tie for the top spot with 87s. 19-year-old Zeke Thurston came in third with an 86 on Time Out Saturday.

The weekend turned out to be especially rewarding for Crawley, who flew to California, after his ride Thursday and also won the Clovis Rodeo with a 92. Crawley now sits in fifth place in the world standings.

Sterling Smith turned in the best Sunday performance in tie-down roping with a time of 13.1 seconds, but that was not good enough to crack the top 10. Gernentz took the title with a time of 8.0, followed by Clay Long (8.1) and Hunter Herrin (8.8).

Jordan Sammons, the favorite to take the 2015 Resistol Bull Riding Rookie of the Year award, had the only clean ride Sunday – on the back of The Principal – but it was good enough to take third overall with a score of 82.

“That’s a tough bull, and I was holding on for dear life,” said Sammons, a McNeese State graduate. “He went right and kind of threw a trick at me, then he settled in and I felt like I got locked in.”

Asay, the 12th-ranked bull rider in the world, scored an 85 Saturday on Dirty Cop, a bull which had never previously been ridden the full eight seconds, to take home the title, while Codrick Murphy came in second with an 84 on Flash Card Friday night. 

2015 BUC DAYS PRO RODEO

Corpus Christi, Texas – April 23-26

All-around cowboy: JoJo LeMond, $4,350, tie-down roping, team roping and steer roping.

Bareback riding: 1. Bill Tutor, 88 points on Frontier Rodeo's Times Up, $5,781; 2. (tie) Bobby Mote and Tim O'Connell, 85, $3,854 each; 4. Ryan Gray, 84, $2,120; 5. (tie) Jake Brown and Evan Jayne, 83, $1,156 each; 7. Steven Dent, 82, $771; 8. (tie) Zachariah Phillips, Winn Ratliff, Tyler Waltz and Joe Gunderson, 80, $145 each.

Steer wrestling: 1. (tie) Justin Blaine Davis and Riley Duvall, 4.5 seconds, $3,849 each; 3. Jacob Talley, 4.9, $3,208; 4. Hunter Cure, 5.0, $2,780; 5. Jace Melvin, 5.2, $2,352; 6. (tie) Blake Doyle and Royce Johnson, 5.6, $1,711 each; 8. (tie) Bray Armes and Timmy Sparing, 5.7, $855 each; 10. Clay Mindemann, 5.8, $214.

Team roping: First round: 1. (tie) JoJo LeMond/Josh Patton and Colby Lovell/Kory Koontz, 4.8 seconds, $1,192 each; 3. Pace Freed/Cody Pearson, 5.0, $855; 4. Jimmy Edens/Larry Gonzalez, 5.2, $630; 5. Dustin Davis/Will Woodfin, 5.3, $405; 6. (tie) AJ Fuchs/Sloan Hendley and Caleb Mitchell/Steve Northcott, 5.5, $112 each. Second round: 1. Logan Olson/Jordan Olson, 5.1 seconds, $1,305 each; 2. Blaine Vick/Twister Cain, 5.3, $1,080; 3. Cody Russell/Wesley Johnson, 5.6, $855; 4. JoJo LeMond/Josh Patton, 5.8, $630; 5. Caleb Mitchell/steve Northcott, 5.9, $405; 6. Anthony Lucia/Ethan Cory, 6.5, $225. Average: 1. JoJo LeMond/Josh Patton, 10.6 seconds on two head, $1,957 each; 2. Caleb Mitchell/Steve Northcott, 11.4, $1,619; 3. Logan Olson/Jordan Olson, 11.6, $1,282; 4. Pace Freed/Cody Pearson, 15.8, $945; 5. AJ Fuchs/Sloan Hendley, 16.7, $607; 6. Cody Russell/Wesley Johnson, 17.5, $337.

Saddle bronc riding: 1. (tie) Isaac Diaz on Frontier Rodeo's Medicine Woman and Jacobs Crawley on Frontier Rodeo's Griz, 87 points, $4,683 each; 3. Zeke Thurston, 86, $3,004; 4. (tie) Josh Reynolds, Sam Spreadborough and Bradley Harter, 83, $1,355 each; 7. Tyrel Larsen, 82, $707; 8. Heith DeMoss, 79, $530.

Tie-down roping: 1. Joseph Gernentz, 8.0 seconds, $4,733; 2. Clay Long, 8.1, $4,235; 3. Hunter Herrin, 8.8, $3,737; 4. Landyn Duncan, 9.0, $3,238; 5. (tie) Michael Perry, Justin Macha and Kyle Dickens, 9.3, $2,242 each; 8. (tie) Catfish Brown and Ryan Watkins, 9.4, $996 each; 10. Ryan Jarrett, 9.7, $249.

Barrel racing: 1. Shelby Herrmann, 13.56 seconds, $4,797; 2. Callie DuPerier, 13.65, $3,837; 3. Hanna Forbes, 13.67, $3,118; 4. Cassidy Kruse, 13.70, $2,398; 5. Britany Diaz, 13.74, $1,919; 6. Tillar Murray, 13.76, $1,439; 7. Sherrylynn Johnson, 13.84, $1,199; 8. Abby Pursifull, 13.90, $1,079; 9. Jaime Hinton, 13.94, $959; 10. Kaley Bass, 13.95, $839; 11. Michelle Lummus, 14.01, $720; 12. Rachel Rule, 14.04, $600; 13. (tie) Liz Herrin, Paige Willis and Stacey Grimes, 14.05, $360 each.

Steer roping: First round: 1. J.P. Wickett, 12.1 seconds, $1,840; 2. Bryce Davis, 13.7, $1,523; 3. Blake Deckard, 14.5, $1,206; 4. Cody Lee, 14.9, $888; 5. JoJo LeMond, 15.2, $571; 6. Scott Snedecor, 15.9, $317. Second round: 1. JB Whatley, 11.4 seconds, $1,840; 2. (tie) Scott Snedecor and J.P. Wickett, 12.0, $1,364 each; 4. (tie) Brent Lewis and Chris Glover, 12.3, $730 each; 6. (tie) Brian Garr and Neal Wood, 12.5, $159 each. Third round: 1. Riley Christophersen, 10.9 seconds, $1,840; 2. Tuf Cooper, 11.0, $1,523; 3. J.P. Wickett, 11.5, $1,206; 4. Chet Herren, 11.9, $888; 5. Mike Outhier, 12.0, $571; 6. Jess Tierney, 12.1, $317. Fourth round: 1. Jess Tierney, 12.8 seconds, $1,840; 2. Brent Lewis, 13.2, $1,523; 3. (tie) Cody Lee and J.P. Wickett, 14.5, $1,047 each; 5. Scott Snedecor, 14.9, $571; 6. (tie) Chris Glover and Kim Ziegelgruber, 15.6, $159 each. Average: 1. J.P. Wickett, 50.1 seconds on four head, $3,680; 2. Cody Lee, 57.0, $3,046; 3. Brent Lewis, 59.8, $2,411; 4. Scott Snedecor, 64.9, $1,777; 5. Mike Outhier, 70.4, $1,142; 6. JB Whatley, 40.1 on three head, $635.

Bull riding: 1. Kanin Asay, 85 points on Frontier Rodeo's Dirty Cop, $5,921; 2. Codrick Murphy, 84, $4,539; 3. (tie) Bart Miller and Jordan Sammons, 82, $2,763 each; 5. Dalton Votaw, 81, $1,382; 6. Parker Breding, 72, $987; no other qualified rides.

Total payoff: $200,917. Stock contractor: Frontier Rodeo. Sub-contractor: Harry Vold Rodeo. Rodeo secretary: Lauranne Smith. Officials: Ken Dunn, Joe Bob Locke and Bruce Keller. Timers: Terri Gay and Jen Jeanes. Announcers: Don Gay and Boyd Polhamus. Bullfighters: Blue Jeanes and Webster Webster. Clown/barrelman: Keith Isley. Flankman: Heath Stewart. Chute boss: Heath Stewart. Pickup men: Rex Bugbee and Jason Bottoms. Photographer: Dudley Barker Jr. Musical Director: Benje Bendele.