Relative ProRodeo newbies Nicole Hadley and Jordyn McNamee cleaned up the 2024 Mountain States Circuit Titles.

The two ladies battled it out for the average title, with McNamee securing it over three go rounds—roping all three in 8.8 seconds—while Hadley’s strong showing throughout the Circuit Finals bumped her from No. 2 to No. 1 in the Year-End standings with a total of $22,187 won.

Mountain States Circuit Year-End Champion: Nicole Hadley

In her second year of ProRodeo competition, Goodland, Kansas’s Hadley decided to lay all her cards on the table, quitting her teaching job in May and managing to put 70 rodeos on her count. Hauling with Shiloh Napp in Texas and fellow Mountain States cowgirl Kinlie Brennise in the Northwest, Hadley got in a ton of miles.

Nicole Hadley’s biggest Mountain Circuit paydays:

• Cheyenne Frontier Days in Cheyenne, WY — $4,389
• Gunnison Cattlemen’s Days in Gunnison, CO — $2,869
• Elizabeth Stampede in Elizabeth, CO — $2,167
• Steamboat Springs Pro Rodeo Series in Steamboat Springs, CO — $1,472
• Wind River PRCA Rodeo in Riverton, WY — $1,293

“I’d say I’m a strong average roper, so going in, my No. 1 goal was to make the NFR Open whether it was through winning the Average or the Year-End,” Hadley, 27, said. “I really pride myself on knocking ’em down. I used to team rope quite a bit, go to jackpots and ride colts. Often times [on young horses] they would pay their way in the average at the jackpots because even if I’m not blazing fast, I can catch quite a few in a row. I’ve always been levelheaded in that aspect.”

With the average in her mind, Hadley roped in 3.7, 2.8 and 3.2 seconds, earning a total of $4,769 at the Circuit Finals. In a bittersweet twist, the figure was enough for her to overtake hauling partner Brennise and win the Year-End.

She did it on “Fury,” a 10-year-old mare bred and raised by her in-laws. According to Hadley, Fury was her husband’s heel horse that got the call in breakaway this summer.

“I rode a mare named Penny last year, and she was my soulmate,” Hadley explained. “But she ended up having surgery in March for bone chips in her fetlock, and also had a torn suspensory, so she was out for the summer. My world was scrambled. I didn’t know what to do. So, I started riding Fury.”

Hadley took Fury to Texas for her first ProRodeos in June, and the mare never missed a beat. Hadley says she’s “all business” in the box and loves competition.

“My most memorable run of the Circuit Finals was my second round run,” Hadley said. “I drew a calf that was going to be middle of the pen and studied the videos. Well, that calf went hard left. I threw over my horses’ neck—which usually doesn’t go well for me—saw the figure eight [of the rope], and stopped my horse. I was really excited to get a calf like that knocked down and stay in the average.”

Her time of 2.8 seconds saw her finish No. 2 in the go-round, adding $1,683 to her bankroll and allowing her to advance to Colorado Springs.

Looking ahead, Hadley plans to haul with Brennise in 2025 with the goal of breaking into the Top 25 in the WPRA standings.

Mountain States Circuit Finals Average Champion: Jordyn McNamee

McNamee finished out her Resistol Rookie Year with a bang, securing a NFR Open berth with a time of 8.8 seconds on three head in the average.

She roped “two good calves” in Rounds 1 and 2 in 2.6 and 2.5 seconds, respectively, before taking some extra time to make sure she got her third calf roped, stopping the clock in 3.7 seconds.

“After winning, I was just kind of at a loss for words,” McNamee, 23, said. “It’s a big accomplishment that was on my mind as a long-term goals. But when I practice every day, I’m not thinking of the long-term, I think [accomplishing goals] is just a byproducts of the daily efforts I make. It was really cool to see it all pay off.”

To make it to the Mountain States Circuit Finals, McNamee picked up a check at the Fort Herriman Rodeo in Herriman, UT, for $1,152. But the real game changer for her was Cheyenne Frontier Days, where she won a total of $8,695 and finished No. 6 in the Short Go.

“At that point I had enough won that it would get me into the Circuit Finals, so I figured I’d better haul and get my [circuit] count,” McNamee explained.

She entered the Circuit Finals sitting No. 6 with “nothing to lose.”

“I just wanted to let it all hang out and see what I could get done,” McNamee said. “I wanted to try to attack from the first round and then play the game after that. I’m usually more of an average type of roper, so for me to let my hair down in those first two rounds and go at it was something that I was proud of myself for doing.”

She was riding her barrel horse “Vegas” who she turned into her breakaway horse as she focused more on roping for the University of Wyoming.

“I think his size helps him out a lot,” McNamee said. “He’s bigger than most breakaway horses and he’s got a lot of speed just because he is a barrel horse bred. He’s incredibly intense. He is on go all the time and is ready to do his job. He does act like a barrel horse sometimes. He’s definitely got his quirks, but he’d probably say the same about me.”

Looking ahead, McNamee is going to finish her senior year with a degree in entrepreneurship, marketing and management. She’s considering a Master of Business Administration because it would mean she could rodeo for one more year.

Mountain States Circuit Finals Breakaway Results

First round: 1. Willow Wilson, 2.3 seconds, $2,244; 2. Jordyn McNamee, 2.6, $1,683; 3. Amanda Terrell, 3.0, $1,122; 4. Libby Winchell, 3.4, $561. 

Second round: 1. Jordyn McNamee, 2.5 seconds, $2,244; 2. Nicole Hadley, 2.8, $1,683; 3. Kinlie Brennise, 3.0, $1,122; 4. Dara Belew, 3.1, $561. 

Third round: 1. Taya McAdow, 2.5 seconds, $2,244; 2. Kinlie Brennise, 2.6, $1,683; 3. Willow Wilson, 2.8, $1,122; 4. Nicole Hadley, 3.2, $561. 

Average: 1. Jordyn McNamee, 8.8 seconds on three head, $3,366; 2. Nicole Hadley, 9.7, $2,525; 3. Willow Wilson, 17.4, $1,683; 4. Kinlie Brennise, 17.7, $842.