Championship Sunday at Frontier Park delivered everything you could ask for: records, upsets, rookie winners, and athletes potentially sealing an NFR berth.

BAREBACK RIDING

In a thrilling Short Round, Kade Berry broke a record that had been standing for 51 years when he rode Lunatic Heaven for 93.5 points. It is the highest marked ride ever in the bareback riding at Frontier Park, besting Joe Alexander by a half-point and was also the highest marked of the 22-year-old Berry’s career.

“It’s so cool to beat a 50-year-old record, that’s amazing, that horse was outstanding,” Berry said. “A little bit of a fight there, but I kept him down, kept rolling and it worked out.”

The bareback riding saw higher scores than in recent years in Cheyenne. Between the two Semifinals and the Finals, there were five total, including three in the Finals alone. Jess Pope was 91.5 and Wacey Schalla, who won the First Semifinal with 90, did so again.

Berry made three straight rides of 85.5 points or better, improving on each one to rake in a total of $13,400.

Finals: 1. Kade Berry, 93.5 points on Brookman Rodeo’s Lunatic Heaven, $9,432; 2. Jess Pope, 91.5, $7,145; 3. Wacey Schalla, 90, $5,145; 4. Sam Petersen, 89, $3,430; 5. Cole Franks, 88.5, $2,001; 6. Kade Sonnier, 88, $1,429.

STEER WRESTLING

Talon Roseland set the pace at 5.8 seconds on the first run of the Finals, which matched the fastest run of the 2025 CFD so far. His time held up all the way until the final cowboy out with 32-year-old Tyke Kipp stopping the clock at 5.5 seconds.

Kipp entered Cheyenne unranked having been to just 33 rodeos on the year, but put on a show once he arrived. He never finished worse than third in a round, including the Qualifier, and won the Sixth Performance. He was the only bulldogger who made four straight runs of 7.5 seconds or faster.

Finals: 1. Tyke Kipp, 5.5 seconds, $9,200; 2. Talon Roseland, 5.8, $8,000; 3. (tie) Rowdy Parrott and Trisyn Kalawaia, 6.1, $6,200 each ; 5. Mason Couch, 6.8, $4,400; 6. Justin Shaffer, 6.9, $3,200; 7. Colten Leech, 7.1, $2,000; 8. Paul Melvin, 7.2, $800.

TEAM ROPING 

Aaron Tsinigine/Jeremy Buhler were just two-tenths of a second faster than the reigning World Champions Tyler Wade/Wesley Thorp with a 9.3-second run to secure the title.

The Reno-winning pair won a total of $13,350 and may just find themselves in the NFR picture Tsinigine starting the weekend No. 21 on the head side and Buhler No. 30 on the heel side.

Since teaming up together at thee beginning of June, Tsinigine/Buhler have won the Pony Express Rodeo and Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo in addition to Reno and also made the Finals in Salinas and finished third in Sheridan.

SADDLE BRONC RIDING

Wyoming native Brody Cress etched his name into Cheyenne Frontier Days history with his 91-point ride on The Black Tie as he became the first saddle bronc rider to win four of ‘em. He was one point better than Zeke Thurston in a Short Round that saw six rides of 88.5 points or better.

It is the second straight year a 90+ Point Ride on The Black Tie decided the bronc riding title in Frontier Park. It was the third 90+ Point Ride on The Black Tie this month with Cress joining Cash Wilson’s 91 to win St. Paul and Damian Brennan’s 93 to win Sheridan.

Cress won all three Go-Rounds he rode in going for 85 in the First Performance on United Pro Rodeo’s High Flyer before adding a Semifinal victory with 89.5 aboard Three Hills Rodeo’s Devil’s Advocate in Saturday’s second Semifinal.

“It’s amazing to be here with this crowd in this arena with so much history, and to get to make some of my own, it’s pretty special,” he said. “There’s no rodeo more special than this to me, ever since I was a little kid, I’d sneak behind the bucking chutes to watch so to get to come out here and have success in front of the people who helped me get to this point is very important.”

Cress won a total of $15,216.

TIE-DOWN ROPING

Tyson Durfey has been competing at Cheyenne Frontier Days since 2003 and finally broke through with his first win in 2025. He was 10.9 seconds in the Finals to win by almost a second, which followed a 9.4 in the Semifinals, his personal best time in Frontier Park.

“I dropped the ball a few years ago in the Short Go and I thought it was going to be my last time ever competing at this rodeo,” Durfey said. “God had other plans…It just proved that if have the fire in your heart and the will, keep going because you never know what’s going to happen.”

The 41-year-old entered the weekend outside the Top 35, but with $17,700 won in Cheyenne the NFR is no longer out of the question.

Riley Pruitt, who is trying to get back to Las Vegas for the first time since 2019, also had a big week in Cheyenne. He made three separate runs that earned him more than $5,000. He was 9.6 to win the Qualifier, the second-fastest run outside of Durfey in the Semifinals, which came with a $5,351 payday, 10.7 to win the First Semifinal to bank $5,200, and 12.5 for third and $7,000 in the Finals.   

Finals: 1. Tyson Durfey, 10.9 seconds, $11,500; 2. Jake Pratt, 11.8, $10,000; 3. Tom Simpson, 12.3, $8,500; 4. Riley Pruitt, 12.5, $7,000; 5. Cole Clemons, 14.1, $5,500; 6. Kyan Wilhite, 15.0, $4,000; 7. (tie) Tripp Brown and Pecos Tatum, 15.7, $1,750 each.

BARREL RACING

Lisa Lockhart’s $22,000 victory in Cheyenne may be remembered as the rodeo that pushed her over the edge and into her 19th straight NFR.

In what she told barrelracing.com was a game-changing week, Lockhart made runs of 17.37, 17.41, 17.21, and 17.03 on her trusty mare Rosa and is poised to move up in the WPRA World Standings after entering Cheyenne No. 14.

She finished fourth or better in all four rounds she competed in with the last two being a second-place finish her in Semifinal and her Short Round victory.

Lockhart has now won Cheyenne, which she says is like a hometown rodeo to her, on two different horses. She debuted there in 1994.

Finals: 1. Lisa Lockhart, 17.03 seconds, $10,819; 2. Tayla Moeykens, 17.19, $8,954; 3. Hailey Kinsel, 17.23, $7,088; 4. Emily Beisel, 17.31, $5,223; 5. Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi, 17.39, $3,358; 6. Carlee Otero, 17.40, $1,865.

BULL RIDING

Qynn Andersen’s rookie year in the PRCA just continues to get better and better and now an NFR berth for the 22-year-old Aussie looks increasingly likely with each passing week.

In Cheyenne, he made his first career 90-point ride on Smith Pro Rodeo’s Hunter to seal what will go along his Greeley Stampede title as a marquee victory early on in his ProRodeo career.

“It feels great (to win), it’s my first time competing here too, the atmosphere is unmatchable and I’m so happy to get the job done,” he said.

Finals: 1. Qynn Andersen, 90 points on Smith Pro Rodeos’ Hunter, $10,063; 2. Colten Fritzlan, 87.5, $7,827; 3. Jesse Petri, 86.5, $5,870; 4. Dakota Warnken, 86, $4,193; no other qualified rides. *(all totals include ground money).