After a season spent chasing checks, climbing the standings and fighting for a spot, the field is officially set for the 2026 Cinch United Finals Rodeo in Texas.
The road to Bryan has officially reached its final destination.
Throughout the 2026 United Professional Rodeo Association season, contestants traveled from rodeo to rodeo with every dollar counting toward the standings and every performance carrying the possibility of moving one step closer to the Finals. Now, after months of competition, the qualifiers have been determined across all nine events.
The 2026 Cinch United Finals Rodeo is scheduled for Oct. 23-25 at the Brazos Valley Expo in Bryan, Texas, in conjunction with the Brazos Valley Fair & Rodeo. The Finals will feature more than $300,000 in added money and bring the season’s year-end championship races to their conclusion.
This year’s trip to Bryan also marks a new chapter for the UPRA Finals. Earlier in the year, the State Fair of Texas announced a pause in rodeo events for 2026, prompting the association to find a new home for its championship event. Bryan and the Brazos Valley will now welcome the contestants who spent the season earning their place on the Finals roster.
The regular season officially came to an end following the Sept. 17-19 rodeo in Henrietta, Texas. With $14,000 added, Henrietta served as the final opportunity for contestants to add to their earnings before the Sept. 19 cutoff. For competitors sitting near the qualification line, those final dollars carried even more weight.
Now the numbers are final, and several contestants will arrive in Bryan after putting together particularly strong regular seasons.
In ranch bronc riding, Laine Bownds leads the seven-man field with $23,130.99 in earnings, followed by Taran Knox with $12,624.21. Bareback rider Zach Hibler enters Bryan with $37,349.41, nearly four times the earnings of second-place Connor Griffith at $9,639.49.
The saddle bronc field is led by Ethan Cart with $24,434.76, followed by Jagger Roach at $16,650.23 and Kyle Welch at $13,150.52. Brennan Polito leads the bull riding qualifiers with $29,244.02, while Hayden Gainey sits second with $12,803.21.
In steer wrestling, the race begins with Kevin Carmon at $9,567.20, followed closely by Ryan Nettle with $9,027.60 and A.D. Davis with $8,272.80.
The women’s events bring some of the largest season earnings into Bryan. Kylie Reininger leads the breakaway roping qualifiers with $30,449.95, followed by Bailey Gubert at $26,791.16, Corlee Massey at $25,622.89 and Kelsie Reininger at $24,106.87. In barrel racing, Bella Skinner tops the Finals field with $37,358.55, followed by Kaily Richardson with $21,927.88 and Madison McCaffity with $16,976.73.
Team roping will feature 15 headers and 15 heelers. Nathan McWhorter leads the headers with $29,902.22, while Dustin Davis leads the heelers with $30,599.25. Tie-down roping is headed by Ty G Rogers, who enters the Finals with $21,978.68.
The contestants will not be the only familiar names headed to Bryan. The previously announced Finals personnel include announcers TC Long and Creed Roberts, secretary Jessy Walters, timers Leddy Murray and Misty Cook, pickup men Britt Walters and Cam Rogers, bullfighters Ryder Gray, Brendall Dunn and Carson Greenway, and funny man Kody Gray. A collection of UPRA stock contractors will also bring the livestock that will help determine this year’s champions.
For months, the Road to the UPRA Finals has been about who could earn enough, stay consistent enough and capitalize on enough opportunities to reach Bryan. That question has finally been answered.
The road is over. The field is set. Now, it is time to decide who leaves Bryan as a 2026 UPRA champion.
