NFR Day 10: Champions crowned; all-around decided by $676

Bareback rider Dean Thompson rides out for a victory lap during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Cowgirls ride into the arena with NFR flags during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The American flag is presented during the national anthem during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A performer dangles from the ceiling during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

A trick rider rides into the arena during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Richmond Champion takes his ride during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Jacob Lees gets help after his ride from the pick-up men during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Garrett Shadbolt tries to stay upright for his ride during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider R.C. Landingham takes his ride during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Leighton Berry celebrates his ride during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Actor Dennis Quaid tips his hat to the crowd during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Cole Franks prepares to break out of the chute during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Cooper Cooke falls off the horse at the end of his ride during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Jess Pope completes his last ride during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Keenan Hayes completes his last ride during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Bradlee Miller sticks on Straight Ringer during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Rocker Steiner loses his hat while finishing his ride on OLS Tubs Stevie Knicks during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Rocker Steiner completes his ride on OLS Tubs Stevie Knicks during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Bareback rider Rocker Steiner reacts to his score during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Steer wrestler Stetson Jorgensen leaps off of his horse to tackle the steer during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Steer wrestler Scott Guenthner slides into the dirt to wrestle the steer during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Steer wrestler Tyler Waguespack slides into the dirt to wrestle the steer during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Steer wrestler Cash Robb reaches for the steer during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Steer wrestler Dalton Massey tries to force the steer down during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Steer wrestler J.D. Struxness celebrates during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Steer wrestler Jesse Brown takes his victory lap for winning the round during the final night of National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 14, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

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Four bareback riders were alive for the world championship entering the final night of the National Finals Rodeo on Saturday.

Dean Thompson was fourth in the overall standings but first in the aggregate, an average of all riders’ scores at NFR, and had a chance to make a big leap and win the title.

Thompson made the most of his final run. He finished second in the go-round with a score of 88.5 points, won the aggregate and claimed the bareback riding world title.

“It is humbling. It just reaffirms I’m on the right path,” Thompson said. “Everything I’ve been doing, my training, my attitude, I guess it’s all been working out.”

Thompson was one of eight world champions crowned in a wild finale Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center. For the all-around title, Shad Mayfield added $40,750 by finishing fourth in the aggregate in tie-down roping, which gave him the title by $676 over Coleman Proctor.

In bareback riding, by winning the aggregate, Thompson added $86,391 in earnings. Thompson finished with $412,120 in the overall standings and won the title by $17,934 over Rocker Steiner.

The battle between Thompson, Steiner, defending champion Keenan Hayes and NFR rookie Bradlee Miller was tight, but the margin of victory was more than Thompson thought it would be as he celebrated winning the title with his shiny gold buckle and sweat still dripping from underneath his brown cowboy hat.

“I placed just high enough to get me in the average spot,” he said. “It was such a thin margin there. They said four guys could have won it. … What just an insane 10 days.”

Thompson, from Altamont, Utah, won just one go-round at NFR, but his consistency helped him emerge as the champion from the rest of his young and talented competition.

“I’ve just been so consistent that I think it paid off,” the 22-year-old said. “When I left NFR last year, I honestly didn’t know if they were beatable, guys like Keenan. For me to be standing here, it’s pretty humbling.”

J.D. Struxness also benefited from the aggregate to win the steer wrestling world title. He finished second in his go-round with a time of 3.6 seconds and ended up eighth in the aggregate to claim the world title.

Struxness added an extra $8,150 by winning the aggregate. The six-time NFR qualifier from Milan, Minnesota, won the world title by $1,508 over Will Lummus.

“We kind of knew the scenarios,” Struxness said. “We didn’t have them all calculated, but we knew there needed to be a little bit of movement in the average to give me a shot.”

The 30-year-old said this morning while having coffee with his wife that he was confident heading into Saturday once he knew the steer he had drawn.

“There was just something else to that run,” Struxness said. “I wouldn’t want to say extra effort because I think I put lots of effort, but it was one of those things I knew what I needed to do. I just really opened up and let it hang out on the line. I took some risk so I could maximize the steer and be faster.”

In other title battles, Tyler Wade and Wesley Thorp won their second consecutive team roping title. Ryder Wright won his third saddle bronc riding title.

The 2024 NFR champions:

Bareback riding

Dean Thompson

Altamont, Utah

Age: 22

World championships: 1

Season earnings: $412,120

2024 NFR earnings: $239,924

2024 NFR go-round wins: 1

Steer wrestling

J.D. Struxness

Milan, Minnesota