New Faces at the NFR
New Faces at the NFR
Riley Pruitt and Blane Cox are two newcomers to watch at the National Finals Rodeo.
By Hope Sickler
With the start of cowboys and cowgirls' favorite time of the year just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to highlight the new faces of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo this year.
This will be a weekly segment where we feature the new faces in each event. The first event that we are going to highlight is the tie-down roping.
This year in tie-down roping, we will be introduced to two new, very talented ropers in Riley Pruitt and Blane Cox.
Pruitt, the son of eight-time NFR qualifier and world champion tie-down roper Troy Pruitt, has had a stellar year. The 25-year-old newlywed had the best year in his roping career this season, winning and placing at some of the top rodeos across the country. He is now preparing to make the trek from his home in Gering, Nebraska, to Las Vegas, Nevada, for his first appearance at the Wrangler NFR, presented by Polaris RANGER ATV.
Pruitt is showing signs of being able to match his father's ultimate accomplishment in pro rodeo, winning a gold buckle of his own. He is sitting ninth in the Weather Guard PRCA 2016 World Standings with $74,547.32 won, and he is only $50,975.79 behind Marcos Costa, who is sitting in the No. 1 spot going into Vegas.
Blane Cox is the second new face that fans will notice this year in the tie-down roping. Cox hails from the cowboy capital of the world Stephenville, Texas, and has also had a year that he will never forget, qualifying to his first of many Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Cox has been the rising star of tie-down roping in the 2016 season. As he gears up to make his best appearance in Vegas, Cox may be the one to watch to claim his first world championship title.
Sitting in 12th position going into Vegas, Cox is right where he wants to be. With $70,127.25 won, he is definitely within arm's reach of getting his hands on the gold buckle.
With the start of cowboys and cowgirls' favorite time of the year just around the corner, we thought it would be fun to highlight the new faces of the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo this year.
This will be a weekly segment where we feature the new faces in each event. The first event that we are going to highlight is the tie-down roping.
This year in tie-down roping, we will be introduced to two new, very talented ropers in Riley Pruitt and Blane Cox.
Pruitt, the son of eight-time NFR qualifier and world champion tie-down roper Troy Pruitt, has had a stellar year. The 25-year-old newlywed had the best year in his roping career this season, winning and placing at some of the top rodeos across the country. He is now preparing to make the trek from his home in Gering, Nebraska, to Las Vegas, Nevada, for his first appearance at the Wrangler NFR, presented by Polaris RANGER ATV.
Pruitt is showing signs of being able to match his father's ultimate accomplishment in pro rodeo, winning a gold buckle of his own. He is sitting ninth in the Weather Guard PRCA 2016 World Standings with $74,547.32 won, and he is only $50,975.79 behind Marcos Costa, who is sitting in the No. 1 spot going into Vegas.
Blane Cox is the second new face that fans will notice this year in the tie-down roping. Cox hails from the cowboy capital of the world Stephenville, Texas, and has also had a year that he will never forget, qualifying to his first of many Wrangler National Finals Rodeo. Cox has been the rising star of tie-down roping in the 2016 season. As he gears up to make his best appearance in Vegas, Cox may be the one to watch to claim his first world championship title.
Sitting in 12th position going into Vegas, Cox is right where he wants to be. With $70,127.25 won, he is definitely within arm's reach of getting his hands on the gold buckle.