CASPER, Wyo. – The 2025 College National Finals Rodeo (CNFR) began on Sunday at the Ford Wyoming Center in Casper. Contestants from teams across the nation have qualified and are looking to make their mark in these next four days.
Mystic Rodeo Head Coach Jon Peek and four cowboys are among those looking to have an impact. National qualifiers in Casper include Seth Berg (bareback riding), Weston Klatt (tie-down roping), Cael Hilzendeger (steer wrestling and team roping) and Hadly Erickson (steer wrestling and team roping).
Seth Berg enters his first CNFR as the second-ranked bareback rider in the NIRA Great Plains Division. He was the first of the Mystics to get started with his first go-round on Sunday's Bulls, Broncs and Breakaway performance, and his second go-round on Tuesday's slack. Unable to record a score, he'll look to turn things around with his final go-round on Tuesday night's performance.
Weston Klatt came to Casper as the eighth-ranked tie-down roper in the Great Plains Division. He got started at Monday's slack, where he could not record a score, but bounced back on Tuesday, posting a 14.4 for 26th. He's slated for his third go-round at Wednesday's performance.
Cael Hilzendeger comes in as the seventh-ranked all-around, 11th-ranked tie-down roper, fourth-ranked steer wrestler and 13th-ranked team roping header. In steer wrestling, he was unable to record a score during his first and second go-rounds, and will have to wait until Friday's performance for his next opportunity. In team roping, he posted a 7.9 (15th) on Monday and a 10.6 (18th) on Tuesday. He'll look to improve those marks at Thursday's performance.
Hadly Erickson enters as the 11th-ranked all-around, ninth-ranked steer wrestler and ninth-ranked team roping header. In steer wrestling, he posted a 16.2 (24th) on Monday, and improved to a 5.6 on Tuesday, good enough for 12th place. His third go-round will be at Wednesday's performance. In team roping, he posted a 12.6 (24th) on Monday, and improved to a 10.9 (20th) on Tuesday before his third go-round at Friday's performance.
The CNFR began with roughstock competition on Sunday, June 15, before slack on Monday and Tuesday morning.
The first public performance is today, June 17, at 8 p.m. CDT, streaming live on ESPN3. The remainder of performances, Wednesday, June 18 – Saturday, June 21 (Championship Round) will also stream on ESPN3. You can stream all performances live on ESPN3 by visiting watchespn.com. A cable or satellite provider login may be required.
