STURGIS, SD – While father/son duo J.B. Lord and Eli Lord, Sturgis, will be pursuing winnings and titles to add to their collections at this weekend’s 65th Y Men’s Badlands Circuit Finals in Minot, another family member, brother Levi, will be the first in the family to qualify for a PRCA National Finals Rodeo.
At the end of the 2020 PRCA season on September 30th, Levi and team roping partner Nelson Wyatt stood 12th in the world standings (the top 15 qualify) and are on their way to the 2020 NFR at Globe Life Field in Arlington, TX, December 3-12.
Wyatt (header) and Lord (heeler) came together as a new team in 2019. That first year, they won more than $30,000 just during the July run. They eventually came in 20th in the 2019 world standings. This year, 14 of the 15 heelers competing at the Wrangler NFR are within $20,000 of the No. 1 spot, meaning each round can completely change the world title picture.
This year, even with a limited amount of rodeos, they finished out the highest placing percentage of any team in ProRodeo. A lot of their success can be credited to years of dedication, hard work, and good horses, but a positive outlook also plays a big role for these cowboys. That, and family.
Lord says he’s going to the NFR as much for his Dad, J.B. and his family as he is for himself. A Sturgis, SD native, Lord, who now calls Stephenville, TX, home, points to the success his Dad and brother continue to have in the Badlands Circuit and other state, regional and professional rodeos. And his brother Eli just missed out on qualifying in steer wrestling at the NFR, ending the season at 19th in the world.
The Wrangler PRCA National Finals, usually held in Las Vegas, moved its venue to the state where the very first national finals was held in 1959 – Texas. Restrictions in Nevada due to the coronavirus pandemic led to the PRCA looking for another venue. Organizers in Arlington and Fort Worth stepped up and this years Finals will be held at the Globe Life Field in December.
Team Roping (Header) World Standings
Rank Name Earnings
1 Luke Brown $89,115.07
2 Clay Smith $69,703.55
3 Cody Snow $67,853.31
4 Colby Lovell $65,508.64
5 Dustin Egusquiza $64,176.04
6 Andrew Ward $63,872.30
7 Clay Tryan $57,629.29
8 Charly Crawford $55,229.27
9 Erich Rogers $52,541.57
10 Kolton Schmidt $50,801.89
11 Nelson Wyatt $50,691.54
12 Chad Masters $50,647.86
13 Levi Simpson $50,397.65
14 Jeff Flenniken $49,391.34
15 Brenten Hall $47,144.92
16 Matt Sherwood $46,557.13
17 Clay Ullery $40,426.23
18 Coleman Proctor $39,197.10
19 Cory Kidd $38,389.48
20 Tyler Wade $37,167.35
Team Roping (Heeler) World Standings
Rank Name Earnings
1 Joseph Harrison $70,299.00
2 Jade Corkill $69,703.55
3 Buddy Hawkins II $63,872.30
4 Jake Long $63,227.15
5 Junior Nogueira $58,083.97
6 Travis Graves $56,514.01
7 Shay Dixon Carroll $56,267.31
8 Paul Eaves $56,159.05
9 Logan Medlin $54,620.84
10 Wesley Thorp $52,682.49
11 Paden Bry $52,541.57
12 Levi Lord $51,890.04
13 Tyler Worley $51,137.68
14 Hunter Koch $51,021.85
15 Chase Tryan $47,144.92
16 Kyle Lockett $44,233.42
17 Trey Yates $43,783.84
18 Ryan Motes $39,197.10
19 Billie Jack Saebens $38,196.40
20 Jake Edwards $38,146.94
