BY BRETT NIERENGARTEN @PRORODEOBRETT
After years of roping with his brother-in-law Buddy Hawkins—a partnership that included four NFRs and an Average title—the duo parted ways. Now teamed up with Kollin VonAhn, Andrew Ward not only helped his new partner return to the NFR for the first time in nearly a decade but also secured the No. 6 spot in the World Standings for himself.
Ward aims to extend his streak to five consecutive Top 10 finishes in as many NFR appearances
La Fiesta De Los Vaqueros, $10,332
Ward’s new partnership with 2015 World Champion Kollin VonAhn quickly proved fruitful when they took second at the Playoff Series Rodeo in Tucson in February. A 5.7 in Round 1 earned them a tie for fifth, while a slower time of 5.8 seconds was good for second in the Finals. They were 11.5 on two, which was 1.2 seconds behind Cody Snow/Hunter Koch.
RodeoHouston, $14,250
The name of the game in Houston is getting to the Four-Man Shootout, and that’s exactly what Andrew Ward did with his second partner Tanner Braden. They advanced out of Super Series 1 with $4,500 and followed that up with a second place finish in the Semifinals and a win in the Championship Round. Ultimately, they finished third, which paid $7,750.
Reno Rodeo, $17,124
Ward and VonAhn reeled in a massive payday to kickoff 100 Rodeos in 100 Days when they placed second in the Long Round and first in the Short Round in Reno to win the Average by a half second. It marked their first PRCA Playoff Series win as partners and had Ward No. 5 in the PRCA World Standings at the beginning of July.
Western Stampede, $3,209
Ward/VonAhn only won two checks over Cowboy Christmas, but one of them was for being the co-champions in West Jordan, Utah thanks to a 4.9-second run. It was Ward’s first career win at a traditional Fourth of July rodeo.
Horse Heaven Roundup, $5,767
In longer rodeos, sometimes success comes from stacking up Go-Round money, while others hinge on the Average. For Ward/VonAhn, this rodeo fell into the latter category. Their three runs brought in less than $900 from the Go-Rounds, but their steady performance delivered a three-head time of 19.5 seconds, securing the win and a $4,944 payout.
The next weekend, they’d add $7,500 more in the northwest between Ellensburg and the Magic Valley Stampede.
Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup, $30,000
In the final rodeo of the season, Ward jumped five spots in the World Standings thanks to a 3.9 in the Finals that paid $30,000. To get there, he made runs of 4.4, 9.4, and 4.0 seconds.
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