LOVINGTON, N.M. – J.D. Struxness has had an outstanding week on the rodeo trail.

He put an exclamation point on it Saturday night by earning a share of the steer wrestling title at the Lea County Fair and Rodeo. During the final performance of the 2016 exposition, Struxness wrestled his steer to the ground in 3.6 seconds.

That, combined with his first-round run of 3.9, pushed the Minnesota cowboy to a 7.5-second cumulative time; he owns the bulldogging title with Shayde Tree Etherton, who competed earlier in the week.

“Lovington’s a good rodeo,” said Struxness of Appleton, Minn. “Last year was my first year here. It’s a cool set up and looks like a good rodeo to win. This year I had the steers to do it on, and I’m glad I capitalized on it.”

He did that all week. In all, the cowboy pocketed $10,894 this week and pushed his season earnings to nearly $56,000. That will move him inside the top 10 in the world standings and closer to the leader, Jason Thomas of Benton, Ark. Struxness needs to finish among the top 15 in the world standings to earn his first qualification to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo.”

“It’d be great to make it to Vegas this year,” he said. “It would be an excellent start to my career; to be able to move right from college to that would be outstanding.”

He finished the 2015 season 19^th in the world standings. He returned to Northwestern Oklahoma State University to finish his collegiate rodeo career. He did that with a bang, earning the championship two months ago at the College National Finals Rodeo. If everything falls into place, he could be just the fourth cowboy in rodeo history to have won a collegiate title and world championship in the same discipline in the same calendar year.

“Just missing (the NFR) last year put a fire in my belly,” he said.

Struxness wasn’t the only man competing on the final night to have that fire in his belly. Both bareback rider R.C. Landingham of Hat Creek, Calif., and bull rider Cody Rostockyj of Lorena, Texas, are well within range of earning their first NFR qualifications, too.

Rostockyj, who finished 29^th last year and has been as high as 18^th at the end of a season, rode Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Leroy Brown for 88.5 points to win the Lovington title and $5,464.

“This is always a big rodeo that everybody wants to win,” the bull rider said. “It’s going to help a lot on the way to the NFR. You don’t want to count your chickens, but it gives you some cushion.”

Landingham has been an NFR bridesmaid each of the past three seasons. In 2013 and ’14, he finished 16^th in the world standings, just missing ProRodeo’s grand finale. A year ago, he placed 19^th. He has a firm place on fifth place heading into the final month and a half of the regular season.

He padded his earnings Saturday night by winning the bareback riding title in Lovington wi9th an 86-point ride on Carr’s Hometown Girl.

“She’s a little horse, and I’m a bigger guy, so I didn’t fit her as good as other guys would,” Landingham said. “She felt outstanding and was really fun to ride, and the two of us together put up a pretty good score.”

Like Struxness, Landingham has had a phenomenal week. He earned $8,170, with $5,154 in earnings from this southeastern New Mexico community.

He has earned more than $87,000 this season, and that doesn’t include potential earnings from a rodeo in Hermiston, Ore.

“I’m guaranteed (to go to the NFR) now,” he said. “I’m placing at every rodeo I’ve been to this week. Now I’m just going to be picky about what rodeos I go to and what horses I get on and finally go to the NFR.

“It’s a big relief. I always felt like I was going to be there.”

Now he knows for sure, and, like Struxness and Rostockyj, he has the Lea County Fair and Rodeo to thank for playing a role in it.

Lea County Fair and Rodeo
Lovington, N.M.
Aug. 10-13
Bareback riding leaders: 1. R.C. Landingham, 86 points on Pete Carr’s Classic Pro Rodeo’s Hometown Girl, $5,154; 2. Kyle  Brennecke, 85, $3,951; 3. Chad Rutherford, 84, $2,921; 4. Tim O’Connell, 83, $1,890; 5. (tie) Caleb Bennett, Teddy Athan and J.R. Vezain, 82, $916 each; 8. (tie) Troy Vaira and Winn Ratliff, 80, $258 each.

Steer wrestling: First round leaders: 1. Shayde Etherton, 3.7 seconds, $1,791; 2. (tie) Wyatt Jurney and J.D. Struxness, 3.9, $1,441 each; 4. Riley Duvall, 4.0, $1,090; 5. (tie) Monty Eakin and Matt Reeves, 4.1, $740 each; 7. (tie) John Franzen and Shane Frey, 4.2, $273 each. Second round leaders: 1. Josh Clark, 3.2 seconds, $1,791; 2. Josh Peek, 3.5, $1,558; 3. J.D. Struxness, $974; 4. (tie) Shayde Etherton and Dirk Tavenner, 3.8, $974; 6. Dean Gorsuch, 3.9, $623; 7. John Franzen, 4.1, $389; 8. Tanner Brunner, 4.2, $156. Average leaders: 1. (tie) J.D. Struxness and Shayde Etherton, 7.5 seconds on two runs, $2,512 each; 3. Dean Gorsuch, 8.2, $1,986; 4. John Franzen, 8.3, $1,6365; 5. Josh Peek, 8.5, $1,285; 6. Juan Alcazar Jr., 8.7, $935; 7. Josh Clark, 8.8, $584; 8. Matt Reeves, 9.3, $234.

Tie-down roping: First round leaders: 1. Ryle Smith, 8.2 seconds, $2,258; 2. Josh Peek, 8.5, $1,963; 3. Westyn Hughes, 8.8, $1,669; 4. Sterling Smith, 8.9, $1,374; 5. Kooper Saiz, 9.2, $1,080; 6. Shank Edwards, 9.3, $785; 7. Ryan Jarrett, 9.6, $491; 9. (tie) Bryson Sechrist, Marcos Costa and Joseph Parsons, 9.7, $65 each. Second round leaders: 1. Hunter Herrin, 7.6 seconds; 2. Marcos Costa, 8.3; 3. (tie) Shane Hanchey and Connor Hall, 8.7; 5. Reese Riemer, 8.8; 6. Timber Moore 8.9; 7. Sterling Smith, 9.0; 8. Cimarron Boardman, 9.1. Average leaders: 1. Sterling Smith, 17.9 seconds on two runs, $3,387; 2. Marcos Costa, 18.0, $2,945; 3. Westyn Hughes, 18.2, $2,503; 4. Reese Reimer, 18.8, $2,062; 5. Josh Peek, 19.5, $1,620; 6. Russell Trent Schilling, 20.2, $1,178; 7. Timber Moore, 20.1, $736; 8. Connor Hall, 20.7, $249.

Saddle bronc riding leaders: 1. Sam Spreadborough, 86 points on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Cool Runnings, $4,766; 2. Nat Stratton, 85, $3,654; 3. (tie) CoBurn Bradshaw, Dean Wadsworth and Ryder Wright, 84, $1,853 each; 6. Curtis Garton, 82, $794; 7. Jacobs Crawley, 80, $635; 8. (tie) Cole Elshere, Cody DeMoss and Rusty Wright, 79, $159.

Steer roping: First round leaders: 1. (tie) Bryce Davis and J.P. Wickett, 9.5 seconds, $1,799 each; 3. Shay Good, 9.6, $1,290; 4. (tie) Cody Lee and Jess Tierney, 10.1, $781 each; 6. (tie) Steve Wolf and Scott Snedecor, 10.4, $170 each. Second round leaders: 1. Rocky Patterson, 8.7 seconds, $1,969; 2. Scott Snedecor, 9.5, $1,629; 3. J.P. Wickett, 9.6, $1,290; 4. (tie) Jason Evans, Marty Jones and Shay Johnson, 9.8 $634 each; 5. Landon McClaugherty, 9.9; 6. Roger Branch, 10.7. Third round leaders: 1. Garrett Hale, 9.1 seconds, $1,969; 2. Lawson Plemons, 9.5, $1,629; 3. JoJo LeMond, 9.8, $1,290; 4. Chet Herren, 10.2, $950; 5. (tie) J.B. Whatley and Jess Tierney, 10.5, $475 each. Average leaders: 1. J.P. Wickett, 32.7 seconds on two runs, $2,953; 2. Shay Good, 32.8, $2,444; 3. Jess Tierney, 33.4, $1,935; 4. Jason Evans, 33.8, $1,426; 5. Bryce Davis, 34.6, $917; 6. Scott Snedecor, 35.0, $509.

Team roping: First round leaders: 1. Luke Brown/Jake Long, 4.4 seconds, $1,756; 2. Dustin Egusquiza/Clint Summers, 4.5, $1,527; 3. Chase Massengill/Daylan Frost, 4.6, $1,298; 4. Tyler Wade/Dakota Kirchenschlager, 4.7, $1,069; 5. Coleman Proctor/Billie Jack Saebens, 4.8, $840; 6. (tie) Billy Bob Brown/Logan Medlin and Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 4.9, $496; 8. Colby Lovell/Travis Graves, 5.0, $153. Second round leaders: 1. Garrett Rogers/Jake Minor, 4.3 seconds, $1,756; 2. Nathan McWhorter/Dustin Davis, 4.4, $1,527; 3. Kaleb Driggers/Junior Nogueira, 4.5, $1,298; 4. Cody Snow/Dugan Kelly, 4.6, $1,069; 5. (tie) Luke Brown/Jake Long and Kyle Roberts/T.J. Brown, 4.6, $725 each; 5. 7. J.D. Yates/Trey Yates, 4.9, $382; 8. Coleman Proctor/Billie Jack Saebens, 5.1, $153. Average leaders: 1. Luke Brown/Jake Long, 9.1 seconds on two runs, $2,634; 2. Coleman Proctor/Billie Jack Saebens, 9.9, $2,290; 3. Billy Bob Brown/Logan Medlin, 10.1, $1,947; 4. Cody Snow/Dugan Kelly, 11.5, $1,603; 5. Chris Francis/Cade Passig, 17.1, $1,260; 6. Robert Ansley/Brian Sullivan, 18.0, $916; 7. Bobb y Boyd DVM/Bubba Paul, 25.4, $573; 8. Garrett Rogers/Jake Minor, 4.3 seconds on one run, $229.

Barrel racing leaders: 1. Sarah Rose McDonald, 17.36 seconds, $3,898; 2. Kellie Callier, 17.45, $3,119; 3. Hailey Kinsel, 17.50, $2,534; 4. Taylor Homuth, 17.51, $1,949; 5. Emily Miller, 17.61, $1,559; 6. Katelyn Scott, 17.90, $1,170; 7. (tie) Kristin Carlson, Liz Herrin and Stephanie Kirkpatrick, 17.95, $887 each; 10. Barbara Johnson, 17.96, $682; 11. (tie) Sherry Cervi and Falena Hunter, 17.97, $536; 13. Kortney Cleveland, 18.03, $390; 14. Jana Bean, 18.10, $292; 15. Tierra Gray, 18.10, $195.

Bull riding leaders: 1. Cody Rostockyj, 88.5 point on Pete Carr Pro Rodeo’s Leroy Brown, $5,464; 2. (tie) Tim Bingham and Brennon Eldred, 87, $3,643; 4. Jordan Wacey Spears, 86, $2,004; 5. Shane Proctor, 85.5, $1,275; 6. Jacob O’Mara, 83, $911; 7. Cole Melancon, 81, $729; 8. Justin Hendrix, 80.5, $546.