Haven Meged Claims Tie-Down Roping Title At Williams Lake Stampede

The 2026 Williams Lake Stampede is officially in the books and it once again welcomed many top ProRodeo athletes north of the border. The summer rodeos are officially underway in Canada, and Williams Lake offered a valuable stop as many competitors prepare for Cowboy Christmas and the Calgary Stampede.

In bareback riding, Ty Taypotat and Chett Deitz each scored 88 points to split the victory and $3,840 each. Saddle bronc riding belonged to No. 10-ranked Quinten Taylor, who scored 88.5 points aboard C5 Rodeo's Shattered Lunatic. Bull riding saw only four qualified rides, with Tanner Skene and Lonnie West sharing the bull riding title with a pair of 84.5-point rides. Cody Fraser rounded out the top three with 83.5 points, followed by Griffin Koester’s 72.

Brendan Laye narrowly took the steer wrestling win, stopping the clock in 4.4 seconds to edge Chase Tkach by just one-tenth of a second. In team roping, Kavis Drake and Denim Ross laid down a smooth 4.7-second run to secure the win. Drake and Ross currently sit 16th and 18th, in the world standings, respectively, just outside the Top 15 cutoff. Their victory at Williams Lake provides a timely boost in the standings as the summer run rages on.

One of the standout performances of the weekend came in tie-down roping, where Haven Meged posted a 7.6-second run to claim the title and collect $5,381. The 2019 World Champion has his sights firmly set on an eighth consecutive NFR qualification, and sits comfortably in the No. 7 spot in the world standings. Shane Smith and reigning world champion Riley Webb shared second place at 8.0 seconds, followed by Kincade Henry’s 8.2 to round out the top four.

The women's events produced equally exciting performances. NFR qualifier Meagan McLeod-Sprague dominated barrel racing with a winning time of 15.07 seconds, finishing a quarter-second ahead of runner-up Lisa Zachoda. Kyla Delly and Keely Pugh each recorded lightning-fast 2.3-second runs to split the breakaway roping win and $3,324 each.

As we kick off the busiest week of rodeo season, we wish all competitors the best of luck, safe travels, and continued success on the road! Stay tuned for continued coverage and standings updates throughout Cowboy Christmas.