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Rough Rider Cup Wraps Up With Bubble Athletes Capitalizing in the Mud

Originally posted on Rodeo on SI | By Maddy Dickens | Last updated Sep 21, 2025 7:23 PM ET

There are only a few chances left for athletes on the bubble to make their final push into the NFR. The Mandan Rough Rider Cup was a big opportunity for those who qualified. With $500,000 up for grabs between the events, this was a rodeo that could ultimately help a professional get to Las Vegas when December rolls around.

The top 15 in each event isn't solidified quite yet even though the year is almost up. Clearly there are many that are safe in their respected events, but there are also many that are not. This rodeo was a big one and some were able to take advantage. Mother nature played a cruel joke to make sure those competing really had to fight for it. Everyone who went there played in knee deep mud, but that's rodeo right?

Big Winners on the Bubble

It's hard to believe that 9X NFR qualifier, Tilden Hooper, was outside of the top 20 in the bareback world standings going into Mandan. Hooper knew that he needed to win and win big. That is exactly what he did with a 90-point ride in the final performance to take the title. He wasn't the only bareback rider sitting near the dreaded No. 15 hole who took advantage of their qualification into the Rough Rider Cup.

Wacey Schalla was the No.13 man before he nodded his head in North Dakota. He didn't win the rodeo, but he was right behind Hooper and the money he won will be vital for both his bareback qualification and the all-around race.

Gavin Soileau (steer wrestler) is trying to make it into his first NFR and he found himself in the exact same position as Hooper. The Louisiana cowboy blasted a 3.8-second run and as the lone sub-four-second run he took home the win. He went through a bit of a drought during the northwest run and this could be the win that helps propel him into the Thomas and Mack.

This team roping pair might not have taken home the win, but a reserve title will do them a lot of good to stay inside the top 15. No.14 in the world is a scary spot to be this time of year and it adds a lot of pressure to picking up checks, but Clay Smith and Nicky Northcott embraced the challenge (Northcott was No.15).

Andrew Ward and Jake Long win the North Dakota Roughrider Cup!
Andrew Ward and Jake Long win the North Dakota Roughrider Cup! The duo stopped the clock in 4.7 seconds during the final performance to claim the team roping title in Mandan. For Ward, the 2021 NFR champion header, the win adds to a strong season as he came into the Roughrider Cup sitting No. 8 in the world, well on his way to a 6th consecutive NFR. On the heel side, Long — a 14X NFR qualifier and the 2024 NFR Average Champion — sits No. 7 in the world with his 15th trip to Las Vegas in sight!
Posted by CowboyChannel on Sunday, September 21, 2025

A few others won big and they were either solidified into the top 15 already or are too far out to make it to the NFR this year. No matter the outcome when October 1 comes around, the efforts and added money from this committee and crew changed the world standings in a big way. Some took a big step towards Vegas this year and every dollar is going to count in the next 10 days.