The Finals in Austin got off to a hot start when Bradlee Miller won the bareback riding with 89.5 points on Beutler & Son’s No Whiskey, continuing a back-and-forth race between himself, Rocker Steiner, and Wacey Schalla, the champions of the last three Texas Swing rodeos, who have opened a $25,000-plus gap between themselves and the next closest cowboy.

Miller, who also won Round 1 with 87.5 points, earned a total of $19,609 for his win.

In steer wrestling, Nick Guy won the Finals by nearly one-tenth of a second with a 3.8-second run, which ended up contributing to a comfortable victory in the Average. He finished with a time of 13.2 seconds on three head, eight-tenths of a second ahead of Rowdy Parrott and Landon Beardsworth.

Guy was No. 46 in the World Standings coming into Austin, but he doubled his season earnings there, which will likely be enough to move him up more than 20 spots.

Tanner Tomlinson/Coleby Payne impressed in the team roping, earning the biggest win of their new partnership with an aggregate time of 11.6 seconds on three head. All of their times in Austin were 4.1 seconds or faster. They were also the champions of the National Western and entered Austin No. 5 and No. 7 in the World, respectively.

Clint Summers/Jade Corkill turned in three times of 4.3 seconds or faster to finish second with a time of 12.2 seconds on three head. This was their best showing of the Texas Swing after finishing No. 3 in the World last year.

In saddle bronc riding, Four-time World Champion Zeke Thurston started the weekend No. 34 in the World Standings but could rise all the way into the Top 15 after winning $18,911, finishing his victory with a 91.5-point ride on Beutler & Son’s Green Bay. Thurston also won the Semifinals with 88.5 points.

The leaderboard in the Short Round featured several of the best in ProRodeo, with Kade Bruno taking second with 88.5 points, Rusty Wright riding for 88 points, and Brody Cress finishing fourth with 87.5.

Dylan Hancock entered the Finals second in the Average in the tie-down roping and claimed victory with an 8.0-second run in a Short Round that only saw two times in the 8s.

It was enough for the San Angelo native to win the Average by 1.5 seconds with an aggregate time of 25.0 seconds on three.

“I didn’t think (my run would be good enough), Kincade (Henry) had a good lead on us and he had some tough luck, had a strong calf,” Hancock said. “I knew (my calf) left sharp and I just needed to be close to the barrier and try to get it on him before he got away.”

Barrel racing looked almost identical to RodeoHouston, as Kassie Mowry won with the same time she posted exactly one week prior, 14.19. Like Houston, Mowry also won the Semifinals, sharing it in Austin with Latricia Duke with a 14.20-second run.

“Being first out, the ground has been incredible, but you don’t know what to expect, so you just have to go as fast as you can and see how it falls,” she said. “(Jarvis) definitely does build his momentum as he goes. He gets comfortable in an arena and just frees up more.”

Qynn Andersen entered the weekend No. 39 in the PRCA Bull Riding World Standings, but like Thurston, he should take a massive jump. He won more than $18,000 for a 3-for-3 showing that concluded with 89 points on Wingman in the Finals.

Eyer Morrison and Braxton Whitesell also made the whistle in the Short Round, riding for 88 and 85 points, respectively.

Andersen has now covered his last five bulls.

In breakaway roping, Sawyer Gilbert made the only run in the 1s in the Finals, winning it with a 1.8. She was also 1.9 in the First Round to bring in $18,986.