Trace Scarlavai rides Airdozer on the final day of the College National Rodeo Finals. (Jackie Jensen Photography)
Casper, Wyo. – Trace Scarlavai, of White Cloud, Mich., entered championship Saturday as the top bull rider and left the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper as a national champion.
“Trace took care of business and stayed mentally tough all week,” said head coach Aukai Kaai. “It’s pretty neat to be able to bring home our first national title.”
Scarlavai was one of only two bull riders to make three qualifying rides prior to the short go. His campaign began with an 82.5-point ride that placed him second behind his teammate Eli Higa. The Michigan native followed it up with scores of 76.5 and 83.5, propelling him to the top of the leaderboard heading into the short go.
The final night proved tough for all bull riders, as Brad Moreno of New Mexico State University was the only cowboy to make the whistle in the short round. However, Scarlavai’s 98.5-point advantage heading into the night was enough to secure him the national title and the coveted gold buckle. At the conclusion of the event, Scarlavai was named the Men’s Rookie of the Year.
Higa, who won the opening round with an 83.0-point ride, also advanced to the short go but was unable to cover his bull, finishing 10th in the event.
In bareback, Jackson Lunn successfully rode all three of his qualifying horses to earn a spot in the short go. The Whitecourt, Alberta native posted a 76.0 in the final round to secure a 10th-place finish.
In team roping, Ryan Sheperd and his partner Cael Hilzendeger (Bismark State) finished with a cumulative time of 58.3 seconds across all four rounds to finish fifth.
The men’s rodeo team concluded the season as the 2025 Great Plains Region Champion and ranked as the 12th best team in the nation.
