Megan Lunak won the Breakaway World Championship at the Indian National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas on October 18, 2025, with a time of 13.41 seconds on four head, winning $7,523.

To an outside viewer, one may see her success as a proud Blackfeet Native from Browning, Montana, as just another Champion. But for those who know Lunak, the 40-year-old’s success is one of triumph, heartbreak and overcoming life’s challenges finally coming into alignment.

“It’s not like I had this win randomly,” Lunak said. “I think it’s been a lot of things woven together. I have been working a long time to overcome different obstacles and handle pressure. This year, heading down to Vegas I thought, ‘I’m not leaving second.’ So many years in the past I have [come up short].”

Lunak qualified for the INFR thanks to a win at a larger rodeo on the INFR Tour in Browning, Montana. It was a rodeo she almost hadn’t attended due five deaths in her family within the span of a few months; two grandmothers, an aunt, uncle and cousin.

“Rodeo wasn’t on my radar, but I had [my mare,]” Lunak recalled. “And I’m like, ‘Man, I can’t waste this mare because I am grieving.’ So I ended up entering my hometown rodeo in Browning, Montana, because I wasn’t going to be sitting at home crying when there is a rodeo 20 miles from the house. I got there and won it, and I’m like, ‘Holy crap, I just made it to Vegas in that one rodeo, because it was an automatic qualifier.”

The win allowed Lunak to stay home the rest of the summer and work on her families’ ranch.

“That was the best thing for my compound grief, just getting reconnected to who I am, my roots, my culture on my families’ ranch on the Blackfeet Reservation,” Lunack said.

When it was time for Las Vegas, she was planning to put her ranching skills to use and rope every calf, no matter the draw. The INFR is a clean-slate finals, where earnings from throughout the year are thrown out the window. Because of that, Lunak had a chance at the World Championship. She pulled checks in Rounds 1 and 4 with times of 2.95 and 2.61 seconds on mare “Cricket,” finishing No. 1 in the average with a time of 13.41 seconds, earning a total of $7,523.

For the Native roper who’s had a rope in her hand for nearly three decades and looked up to NFR competitors, the win felt like validation.

“You’ve got 32 wolves at the INFR,” Lunak said. “You know Bailey Bates, Dani Lowman, but there are 30 other girls who can rope just like that, they just may not have had the resources to leave their careers and home life to rodeo full time.”

With her sponsor War Party Ranch at her back, mentors including Joe Beaver on the phone and “Cricket” beneath her, Lunak had achieved her dream.

The horse that made it happen

2017 mare Notta Wimpy Gun, known as “Cricket,” is called Lunak’s little “motorbike” for her speed and agility. She trained Cricket herself after picking her up as a reject cutter—enduring the bronc rides that have come up too.

“I give a lot of credit to my horse,” Lunak said. “She’s amazing, this little creature. She’s just 14 hands, and then you’ve got me who’s 5-foot-10″. She’s got a short neck and I’ve got a long arm. She took to breakaway like nothing. She’s been the most fun horse I’ve ever owned.”

Sobriety, moviemaking and half a thumb

Winning the INFR title in Las Vegas might look like the high point of Lunak’s story—but it’s only the latest chapter in a life defined by resilience. Before the gold buckle, Lunak spent years rebuilding herself—physically, mentally and spiritually—from the kind of trials that could have ended her roping career altogether.

Overcoming addiction

Long before she was chasing world titles, Lunak was chasing balance. She’s been sober for 10 years now, and credits both her sobriety and time in the gym as the key factors in her winning attitude. Sobriety wasn’t a quick fix, but a foundation.

“I could not handle alcohol,” Lunak said. “I was ruining my life, messing up. I was riding some of the greatest horses I ever had and messing them up as a competitor. I was messing up my daily life and my career, my relationships, everything. But my dad, Dutch, is the key player in my sobriety. He battled addiction as a young man, but he’s been sober his entire life now, and he really set the bar for me on how to live a good, clean, healthy cowboy life.”

Lunak admits that even when she got sober, life wasn’t suddenly easy.

“I still struggled and had problems to overcome, but I was approaching every obstacle with a clear mind for once in my life,” Lunak said. “I live on the Blackfeet Reservation, and addiction is rampant here, so if I can be a role model for someone—to let them know they’re not alone—I will.”

Her openness about recovery has become a cornerstone of her identity, both in and out of the arena.

“I refuse to let what life threw at me dim my light,” Lunak said. “I don’t want to live another 40 years in darkness, in fear of what others think of me. I just want to be a good person in this world and let other people know they’re not alone. Especially women—I’m here for you.”

Losing a thumb and finding perspective

Alcohol wasn’t the only test of Lunak’s resolve. A month after graduating from the University of Montana Western in 2008, she dallyed her thumb off at a jackpot in Cut Bank, Montana.

“I pantyhosed the steer, and the guy heading was on a younger horse that started running off,” Lunak said. “So I took another suicide wrap to dally and get a time, and I got my thumb sizzled off in that second wrap.”

The injury could have been career-ending, but Lunak found guidance from one of the sport’s greats.

“Joe Beaver helped me a lot afterwards,” Lunak said. “He even taped his thumb to his palm to practice with me. He said, ‘It’s an adjustment, but we can do this.’ We ended up switching from a three-strand to a four-strand rope for more depth and girth.”

What could have been a source of shame became something she wears with humor and pride.

“Now it’s a conversation piece,” Lunak laughed. “There’s some camaraderie between people missing fingers. I want to be a resource to people who’ve gone through the same thing.”

Stunts, storytelling and the bigger picture

When she’s not roping calves, Lunak’s often in front of the camera—literally. Her father, a lifelong horseman and professional stuntman, introduced her to the world of film work.

“My dad has done stunting regularly since 1988,” Lunak said. “I was on a couple of shows—American Prime Evil, Yellowstone with my dad, and Dark Winds. It definitely takes over my rodeo schedule, but that’s fine, because it’s literally one of the coolest jobs in the world.”

Through all the highs and lows, Lunak’s story remains one of perseverance and purpose. She’s as proud of her sobriety and resilience as she is of her gold buckle—and she’s determined to use both to lift others.

Women supporting women

“As women, we’re taught to put on a brave face and show the world everything’s okay—that we have the best family, the best life at home,” Lunak said. “And if anyone out there is struggling, I understand. We’re women in rodeo. We have to pull our cowboy hat down a little tighter when things get tough. But women supporting women—I’m huge for that. We need to start cheering for each other, hugging each other, because it’s a cruel, mean world out there. Our hearts, our good spirits, our energy—that’s what make us women.”