The final stop on the UTB tour’s regular season did not disappoint, as the riders, bovines, and fans were all at the top of their game at PBR Tacoma.

With the World Finals looming, Tacoma served as some riders’ last stand, while others continued to heat up.

No one was more on fire than Daylon Swearingen, though, as he picked up his second event win of the season with the best ride of the year so far. He joined Dalton Kasel, John Crimber, Brady Fielder, and Sage Kimzey among bull riders who have won multiple times this season.

The 2022 World Champion got off to a hot start, covering Ugly This for 87.5 in the First Found. In Round 2, he covered Turning Point in a rematch for 88.45, beating his previous score of 88.2 on that bull.

In the Championship Round, he pushed his chips and drafted the No. 1 bull in the World, Pegasus.

It was a calculated risk that paid off, there were four rides marked better than 92 points, but Swearingen was able to breakaway from the pack with a UTB season-best 94.90 points. It was also the best ride of Swearingen’s career.

He racked up 270.85 Aggregate Points in his victory, the most any bull rider has earned at a three-round event this season.

He also earned 138 UTB Points and has jumped back into the Top 10 after covering 9-of-11 bulls down the stretch.

Other Top Performers

Brady Fielder

Fielder finished second in Tacoma and despite having three event wins this season, this may have had his best weekend of the year in Tacoma.

He started with his best ride of the weekend, covering Sucker Punch for 92.35, winning the First Round. He followed with a solid 83.75 on First Class in the Second Round which was just enough to lead the way heading into the Championship Round.

Fielder, frankly, did enough to win most any other event this season. He chose to ride Hard Times and covered him for 92.2, his second 92+ point score of the weekend and third in his last six outs. Although it wasn’t enough to overtake Daylon Swearingen, he left everything he had on the dirt and capped the regular season as the hottest bull rider in the World.

He had four Top 5 finishes in his final five events of the regular season and has covered his last six bulls. Furthermore, he’s also covered eight of his last 12 bulls, with five scores of 91+.

He earned 98 UTB Points in Tacoma, closing his gap on No. 1 John Crimber from 247.5 to 169.5 points.

Hudson Bolton

The reigning Rookie of the Year also capped off his regular season in style, matching Fielder’s 268.30 Aggregate Points to share second place. It’s his third Top 3 finish in his last three events, and those are his only Top 3 finishes on the year.

Bolton started his weekend covering Benjamin Ranklin for 86.9 and followed that with an 89.15 on Say When. Those rides positioned him 2nd heading into the Short Round, where Bolton chose to ride Tigger.

He then covered Tigger for a career high of 92.25 points. He’s covered seven consecutive bulls with two 90+ rides in that streak. Bolton enters the World Finals in 19th with 339 UTB Points.

Mauricio Gulla Moreira

The 26-year-old covered one of his last 23 bulls before Saturday night, and was sitting right outside the cutline in 41st.

Moreira was bucked off his first bull in Round 2 and took a tough fall, but was awarded a re-ride, giving him a second chance at making the cut.

He was subsequently matched up against Big Dawg, and in the biggest ride of his season, covered the bull for 89.5 points. It bumped him up to 39th, qualifying him for the World Finals and bumping out the legendary João Ricardo Vieria.

High Scores in the Short Round

The UTB Tour ended its regular season on a high note with possibly the most electric Short Round we have seen all season.

For the second weekend in a row, we’ve seen a Championship Round that featured five 90+ rides with every qualified ride clearing the 90-point barrier.

On Saturday, four cowboys — Daylon Swearingen, Hudson Bolton, Brady Fielder, and Thiago Salgado — were all at least 92 points. Additionally, with Swearingen besting John Crimber’s winning ride of 93.95 points on Fire Zone, it’s the second straight weekend a new season-high score has been set.

With the World Finals right around the corner, all eyes will be on that 94.9 number, eager to see it surpassed.

Team Challenge Championship

The Missouri Thunder defeated the Austin Gamblers in the Team Challenge Championship on Friday, where Julio Cesar Marques came in clutch to seal the win in walk-off fashion.

It was a back and forth battle in every sense. The Thunder struck first with Paulo Eduardo Rossetto covering Real Deal for 87.15 points. The Gamblers’ Vinicius Pinheiro Correa responded, riding Taco Truck for 83.35 points.

Four buck-offs later, Vinicius Rodrigues Pereira put the Thunder back in front with an 82.35-point ride atop Keystone. But Callum Miller put the pressure back on, covering Frankenstomp for 88 points and giving the Gamblers a 171.35-169.5 lead with just one ride remaining.

The Thunder’s last hope was Julio Cesar Marques, who was just signed that week, facing Kinky Brahmer, and he delivered. Cesar Marques covered the bull for 85.25, earning the Thunder the Championship win 254.75-171.35.

It was a gritty performance for a gritty team that moved to 9-0 all-time in Monster Energy Team Challenge history. During their five games of the METC this season, the Thunder won with just one bull ride. They saved their best for last against a Gamblers team that dominated the regular season.

“(My team) has great confidence and they work so hard at this sport and I just love to see the effort and it’s contagious, the momentum’s for real in bull riding,” Thunder coach Ross Cooper said. “It’s that energy, whether in Vegas for the Finals or for (the Team Challenge), it’s just momentum, we just love that, we crave that.”