Shelley Morgan’s fifth National Finals Rodeo qualification came by narrow margins, but when the dust settled, the Texas native was in. Her standout mare, Kiss, had help this season as Bee joined their team and Morgan battled all the way to the finish to lock in the No. 15 spot.
The last time we saw her in Las Vegas, she won the NFR Average in 2022.
Sandhills Stock Show and Rodeo, $4,765
A second-place finish in a small west Texas arena would kick off Morgan’s 2024 in her home state. It was the first time since 2020 that Morgan competed in Odessa and the second place finish was the best of her career there.
San Angelo Stock Show and Rodeo, $5,099
The Texas Swing was wide open come April and Morgan would get her another piece of the money. A fourth-place finish in Round 1 and third in the Finals was enough to put Morgan fourth in the Average when it was all added up.
Morgan also made the Finals in San Antonio during the Texas Swing.
Woodward Elks Rodeo, $2,966
By just one hundredth of a second, Morgan would finish second to Stevi Hillman in Oklahoma. Her time of 17.09 would, however, be faster than the likes of Wenda Johnson and Summer Kosel.
She added two checks in Texas that same weekend to get a payday at all three rodeos she competed in.
St. Paul Rodeo, $7,257
Over Cowboy Christmas, Morgan cashed in at one of the most iconic Fourth of July rodeos, and the highest-paying. In the quaint Oregon town of St. Paul, she clocked a 17.51-second run to bank third place money.
Sheridan WYO Rodeo, $8,516
In the Cowboy State the very next week, Morgan won her onlay PRCA Playoff Series Rodeo of the season with a 17.29-second run.
This came after Morgan stopped by the pay window in Casper after placing in both the First Round and the Average.
Lake County Round-Up, $2,768
Morgan’s only other win in 2024 came on the first weekend of September when she ran a time of 17.07 seconds in Oregon. In a tough competition with fellow NFR qualifier Carlee Otero, it would be Morgan who came out on top by less than a tenth of a second.
Cinch Playoffs Governor’s Cup, $10,250
At Morgan’s last rodeo of the season, she did just what she needed to do to punch her Las Vegas ticket. Morgan advanced sixth out of eight cowgirls in the Semifinals and then grabbed the final spot in the Short Round with a 13.93. Although she finished fourth of four, all that matters is that it still paid $7,500 to push her back to rodeo’s biggest stage.
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