Nebraska rodeo athletes continued their successful summer with a national championship, top finishes at the National High School Finals Rodeo and wins at rodeos across the state.
Case Shane captured the 2026 National High School Finals Rodeo trap shooting championship, while Kanin Heath finished eighth in bareback riding and Callie Olson placed third in reined cow horse. Kinzey Walz and Maci Herrington finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in pole bending, and Treyson Foral and Blaine Frizzell also earned top-10 finishes in trap shooting.
Nebraska competitors also found success at rodeos throughout the state. Trevor Cox won steer wrestling at both the Dundy County Fair Rodeo and Elwood Rodeo before adding another victory at the Webster County Fair Rodeo. Reagan Stracke claimed barrel racing titles at the Webster County Fair and Red Willow County Fair rodeos, while Braden Abbott won ranch bronc riding at both Dundy County and the Ogallala Round-Up Rodeo.
On the professional rodeo trail, Gauge McBride split second in bareback riding at Nebraska’s Big Rodeo with an 82-point ride. Gus Franzen won the steer wrestling in Burwell, Garrett Long shared the bareback riding title, Mason Stueve won tie-down roping, and BJ McAbee claimed the bull riding title with a 91-point ride.
This week’s Nebraska Rodeo Update podcast also features an interview with National High School Finals trap shooting champion Case Shane, who discusses his championship season and what it took to win a national title.
