Going a perfect 4-for-4, Swearingen wins 2019 PBR Canada Finals to surge to the top of the national standings and capture the league’s most fiercely contested national championship
SASKATOON, Saskatchewan – In what was one of PBR’s (Professional Bull Riders) most fiercely contested national title races in league history, the 2019 Canadian Champion wasn’t decided until the final out of the 2019 PBR Monster Energy Canadian Finals, presented by Dakota Dunes Casino on Saturday night in front of the record-setting crowd inside SaskTel Centre.
Going a flawless 4-for-4 to win the most attended Canadian Finals ever, Daylon Swearingen (Piffard, New York) completed an awe-inspiring, come-from-behind surge to rise from No. 4 to No. 1 in the national standings, crowned the 2019 PBR Canada Champion.
“It is real special to be here and to get it done,” Swearingen said. “It just feels good and hopefully I can keep it going and keep the momentum going.”
The 20-year-old began his march to Canadian glory when he rode Twist of Barbwire (Thompson Rodeo Livestock) for 83 points, and Kubota’s Big Orange Tractor (Wild Hoggs Bucking Bulls) for 87 points in Round 1 and Round 2, respectively.
While the two 8-second efforts netted him a combined 170 national points, Swearingen, who remained No. 4 in the standings following the first day of competition, lost ground to the No. 1-ranked rider. Sweeping both rounds Dakota Buttar (Kindersley, Saskatchewan) leap-frogged Jared Parsonage (Maple Creek, Saskatchewan) in the national standings, and Swearingen’s deficit grew from 687.57 points to 987.08 points.
On the final night of competition for the 2019 Canadian season, seven riders remained in contention for the PBR Canada Championship and accompanying $50,000 bonus.
Needing to win the event title to capture the national championship, Swearingen responded to the heightened pressure in dominant form.
In Round 3, the New Yorker rode Muddy Water (X6 Ranch Bucking Cattle) for 86 points to catapult to the top of the event leaderboard.
Swearingen’s contenders, however, answered the call as well.
No. 2 Parsonage covered Thunder Road (Eno Bucking Bulls) for 84.5 points, No. 3 Shay Marks (Sunnybrook, Alberta) reached the 8 on Firebeatz (Foley Bucking Bulls) for 86.5 points, and No. 6 Brock Radford (De Winton, Alberta), attempting to make his own climb of the rankings, rode Throwin’ Shade (Flying High Rodeo Co.) for 85 points.
With a buckoff from No. 1 Buttar in Round 3, and No. 5 Jordan Hansen (Okotoks, Alberta) unable to compete due to a concussion, five men entered the championship round in contention for the national title.
The race, however, quickly became a two-man shoot-out.
After the first 10 men in the 12-rider championship round bucked off, including Marks, Parsonage, Buttar and Radford, the title race was between Swearingen and Saskatchewan’s own Buttar.
Seeking history of his own, three-time PBR Canada Champion Aaron Roy (Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan) set-up a must-ride situation for Swearingen. Attempting to become just the second multi-time PBR Canada Finals event winner, Roy rode Timber Jam (Vold Rodeo) for 86 points to complete his perfect 4-for-4 performance inside SaskTel Centre.
Swearingen, however, had a match-up awaiting him which seemed to be ripped straight from a Hollywood script.
Drawing World Finals bucker Tykro Pound Sand (Wild Hoggs/Corey Chmelnyk) in the championship round, the out was a rubber-match for the two athletes.
First meeting in 2018 on the Monster Energy Tour in Moncton, New Brunswick, Swearingen covered the bovine for 88.5 points.
Despite a buckoff this June in Halifax, Nova Scotia in a heart-breaking 7.76 seconds, Swearingen had reached the whistle in their most recent showdown. Propelled to his second Monster Energy Tour event win of 2019 courtesy of the qualified ride, Swearingen was marked 86.5 points to emerge victorious at the final regular-season Monster Energy Tour event of the year in Edmonton, Alberta.
In Saskatoon, Swearingen once again proved the supreme competitor. As the high-marked ride of the fourteenth annual PBR Canada Finals, Swearingen conquered Tykro Pound Sand for a massive 89 points.
The score allowed Swearingen to erase Roy’s lead atop the aggregate, winning the Canadian Finals event title en route the PBR Canada Championship. Including the unprecedented $50,000 bonus, Swearingen left the SaskTel Centre with a check for a career-high $69,600. He finished 450.42 points in front of runner-up Buttar.
Rounding out the Top 5 in the final 2019 PBR Canada National Standings was: No. 3 Parsonage (-1,032.93 points), No. 4 Marks (-1,320.42 points) and No. 5 Roy (-1,737.92 points).
The PBR Canada Championship is the most recent of many accolades earned by Swearingen this season.
In addition to being crowned the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Bull Riding Champion earlier this summer, Swearingen also became the youngest rider ever to qualify for both the PBR World Finals and Wrangler National Finals Rodeo in the same season in 2019.
Roy’s perfect performance allowed him to finish runner-up in the Canadian Finals, garnering him $6,375 and 885 national points. Entering the season-culminating event No. 9 in the nation, he concluded the year No. 5.
Lane Mellers (Mundubbera, Queensland, Australia) was honored as the 2019 PBR Canada Rookie of the Year, finishing the season No. 21 in the nation. In a crowd-rising moment, Mellers immediately gifted Klayton Lakevold (Provost, Alberta), who was significantly injured during the summer, with his trophy spurs.
In the bull pen, Homegrown (Eno Bucking Bulls) held-off a fast-rising Happy Camper (Two Bit Bucking Bulls) to claim the 2019 PBR Canada Bull of the Year honor.
Concluding the regular-season with a league-best 44.5-point average from his Top 5 outs on Canadian soil, Homegrown recorded a 43.5-point score in the championship round courtesy of his 2-second buckoff of Zane Lambert (Ponoka, Alberta) to finish 2019 with a 44.33-point average.
Despite a massive 45-point bull score for his 3.48-second trip with Thor Hoefer II (Priest River, Idaho), Happy Camper was unable to overcome a 0.4-point deficit, concluding the season with a 44.25-point average, 0.08 points behind the No. 1 ranking and what would have been a history-making second championship.
Finning Lil Shorty (Flying Four Bucking Bulls) was named the Bull of the PBR Canada Finals compliments of his event-best 45.5-point bull score. The bovine athlete dispatched Marks in 2.36 seconds to record the score.
Nansen Vold of Vold Rodeo was voted the PBR Canada Stock Contractor of the Year was the sixth time in his career.
Fans can relive all the action from the 2019 PBR Monster Energy Canadian Finals, presented by Dakota Dunes Casino, starting at 8:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, November 24.
The 2020 PBR Canada Monster Energy Tour will begin on January 24-25 in Calgary, Alberta for the two-day Calgary Classic at the Nutrien Western Event Centre. Action will get underway at 7:30 p.m. MT.
PBR Canada Monster Energy Tour
2019 PBR Monster Energy Canadian Finals, presented by Dakota Dunes Casino
SaskTel Centre – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Event Leaders (Round 1-Round 2-Round 3-Round 4-Event Aggregate-Event Points)
- Daylon Swearingen, 83-87-86-89-345.00-1782.5 Points.
- Aaron Roy, 84-84.5-83.5-86-338.00-885 Points.
- Derek Kolbaba, 81.5-84.5-86-0-252.00-600 Points.
- Brock Radford, 82-84-85-0-251.00-347.5 Points.
- Dakota Buttar, 86-87.5-0-0-173.50-675 Points.
- Marcos Gloria, 85.5-0-86.5-0-172.00-475 Points.
- Logan Biever, 85-86.5-0-0-171.50-300 Points.
- Jake Lockwood, 0-86-85-0-171.00-185 Points.
- Jared Parsonage, 0-83.5-84.5-0-168.00-60 Points.
(tie). Shay Marks, 0-81.5-86.5-0-168.00-225 Points.
- Zane Lambert, 83.5-0-83.5-0-167.00-47.5 Points.
- Thor Hoefer II, 80.5-86-0-0-166.50-87.5 Points.
- Todd Chotowetz, 80-82.5-0-0-162.50-2.5 Points.
- Garrett Green, 84-0-0-0-84.00-87.5 Points.
- Jordan Hansen, 83.5-0-0-0-83.50-32.5 Points.
- Jake Gardner, 0-82.5-0-0-82.50-2.5 Points.
- Dayton Johnston, 0-0-82-0-82.00-5 Points.
- Jackson Scott, 73.5-0-0-0-73.50
Lane Mellers, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cody Casper, 0-0-0-0-0.00
Cole Young, 0-0-0-0-0.00
2019 PBR Canada National Standings
(Place, Rider, Events, Wins, Top 5’s, Points, Total Winnings)
- Daylon Swearingen, 9, 3, 7, 3,841.25, $96,898.39
- Dakota Buttar, 24, 5, 13, 3,390.83, $36,951.24
- Jared Parsonage, 35, 2, 16, 2,808.32, $71,935.88
- Shay Marks, 43, 1, 12, 2,520.83, $30,700.60
- Aaron Roy, 28, 2, 6, 2,103.33, $25,205.88
- Brock Radford, 25, 0, 11, 2,077.08, $28,518.03
- Jordan Hansen, 17, 3, 8, 1,785.82, $25,115.98
- Garrett Green, 10, 2, 5, 1,488.75, $30,293.31
- Jake Gardner, 36, 1, 8, 1,452.50, $19,456.58
- Derek Kolbaba, 2, 1, 2, 1,280.00, $48,231.94
- Zane Lambert, 30, 1, 6, 1,136.25, $29,393.17
- Jackson Scott, 31, 0, 5, 1,133.33, $16,445.62
- Logan Biever, 31, 0, 5, 1,056.25, $10,885.57
- Marcos Gloria, 17, 0, 4, 1,038.33, $24,183.55
- Lonnie West, 23, 2, 5, 1,032.50, $13,807.00
- Jake Lockwood, 16, 2, 2, 953.33, $10,580.92
- Todd Chotowetz, 20, 2, 4, 915.00, $16,301.38
- Coy Robbins, 25, 0, 5, 833.33, $9,611.89
- Gage Gay, 3, 1, 2, 805.00, $8,075.85
- Cody Casper, 20, 1, 3, 772.50, $9,822.15
- Lane Mellers, 7, 1, 4, 731.66, $7,442.71
- Thor Hoefer II, 19, 1, 4, 730.83, $7,993.77
- Chase Outlaw, 6, 1, 3, 718.33, $25,785.61
- Jess Lockwood, 3, 2, 3, 675.00, $61,157.91
- Dayton Johnston, 27, 0, 4, 654.58, $9,983.39
- Aaron Kleier, 8, 0, 3, 626.25, $7,092.39
- Brady Fielder, 9, 1, 2, 592.91, $5,547.22
- Michael Lane, 2, 1, 1, 530.00, $6,373.70
- Edgar Durazo, 4, 1, 2, 502.50, $6,072.32
- Cole Young, 22, 0, 2, 434.16, $4,571.97
- Kache Moosman, 11, 0, 3, 403.33, $5,012.87
- Riley Gagnon, 7, 0, 1, 392.50, $4,539.85
- Josh Frost, 2, 0, 2, 348.33, $3,419.13
- Wyatt Gleeson, 23, 0, 2, 347.50, $3,321.34
- Tanner Byrne, 7, 0, 2, 345.00, $6,099.51
- Brennon Eldred, 1, 0, 1, 320.00, $7,744.44
- Cody Nance, 5, 1, 1, 305.00, $6,246.41
- Joe Frost, 3, 0, 1, 270.00, $4,981.79
- Fabian Dueck, 28, 0, 2, 231.66, $2,362.89
- Matt Triplett, 3, 0, 1, 213.75, $5,338.64
- Klayton Lakevold, 15, 0, 1, 208.33, $1,984.89
- Weston Hartman, 15, 0, 1, 202.50, $3,122.05
- Wacey Finkbeiner, 12, 0, 1, 184.58, $7,376.81
- Italo Aguilar Goncalves, 15, 0, 1, 172.50, $2,639.25
- Will Purcell, 8, 0, 1, 167.50, $1,508.54
