Friends and peers Alli Masters and Clare Burcalow came out on top on the 2025 Great Lakes Circuit, with Masters wrangling the Year-End title with more than $19,000 won while Resistol Rookie Burcalow captured the Average title with a time of 9.7 seconds.

The two have now earned a spot in the 2026 NFR Open, and may even continue their hauling partnership on their way out to Colorado Springs.

Alli Masters: Great Lakes Circuit Year-End Champion

For Masters, the 2025 season was a rebuilding year that turned into her most profitable one yet. The Leon, Iowa, cowgirl closed out the season with $19,320 won, thanks largely to key summer performances that kept her holding steady in the standings. She picked up $1,894 at the Inter-State Rodeo in Coffeyville, Kansas, and another $2,024 at the Carson Community PRCA Rodeo in Iowa, with additional checks rolling in across the Midwest.

Despite a tough Circuit Finals, Masters’ lead was strong enough to hold. The Year-End title punched her return ticket to Colorado Springs, a goal that’s been on her radar since she first won the circuit in 2022.

“I’m very thankful it was enough to hold on,” Masters said. “It was not a very good circuit finals, so having that cushion meant everything.”

A Rebuilding Year with a New String

The 2025 season also marked a new chapter in Masters’ horsemanship. After retiring the horse that helped her win her first two circuit titles, she spent the year seasoning a fresh string.

She split her summer runs between Smart Royal Doc Bar, or “BT,” a steady 6-year-old she rode successfully at San Angelo, and Dual Hospitalization, known as “Tony”, a 5-year-old stepping into the role with confidence reminiscent of her old standout. A promising 4-year-old registered as Dual Spotted Samurai, or “Troy,” rounds out her barn.

With horsepower coming together again, Masters is eyeing a fuller summer run.

“I’d like to get back into the Top 40 so I can get into Fort Worth and San Antonio,” Masters said. “Now that I’m getting that string of horses back underneath me, I think we can get there.”

Masters credits her season to the people around her — especially the traveling partners who made the miles possible.

“I went with my sister Layni, Tori Brower, and then Clare — who won the average,” Masters said. “It was pretty neat that all four of us traveled together this summer and made it out [to the Circuit Finals.] You’ve got to travel with the right people to do well.”

Clare Burcalow: Great Lakes Circuit Average Champion

Burcalow claimed the Average Championship during her Resistol Rookie Year, earning a total of $8,772 in Louisville. For a cowgirl who grew up watching the Circuit Finals, the moment was surreal.

“The Great Lakes Circuit Finals is one of the best finals there is,” Burcalow said. “It was a big goal just to make it. Winning the average was something I hoped for, but I wasn’t sure it would happen.”

Burcalow ran 2.6, 4.0, and 3.1 to seal the title — and clinch her own trip to the NFR Open.

A Rookie with Roots in the Region

Burcalow, from Waunakee, Wisconsin, didn’t come from a traditional rodeo family. Her dad team roped a little, her mom is a veterinarian, and Burcalow learned the sport from mentors she collected along the way.

She also learned the road from Masters. The pair — along with Masters’ sister Layni — hauled together most of the summer, forming a tight and effective crew.

“I really couldn’t have done it without them,” Burcalow said. “They were knowledgeable about entering, about travel, about everything. They were awesome.”

Stick: The Barrel Horse Who Found Her Calling

Burcalow’s finals partner was Okies Hickory Stick, or “Stick,” a 17-year-old mare who was once a barrel-racing misfit before finding her true place in the breakaway box.

“She did not like her job in the barrels,” Burcalow laughed. “She’d run up the fence or get kind of naughty. I bought her as a barrel horse and realized quick it wasn’t the right fit. She always loved the breakaway.”

Stick’s speed, rate and cow-sense shone brightest in Round 2, where Burcalow navigated a tough calf in a high-pressure moment to stay in the average with a 4-second run.

“That was the first time I can remember really keeping my head on straight,” Burcalow said. “It wasn’t the prettiest run, but it was important.”

Eyes on Colorado Springs

Burcalow entered Louisville knowing she couldn’t catch Masters in the year-end race — but she could win the average and earn her own place at July’s NFR Open.

“That was my goal from the start,” Burcalow said. “I’m excited to go to Colorado Springs.”

She credits her boyfriend, Chance, her parents, and her hauling partners for helping turn her breakout year into a championship one.