Written by: Ann Bleiker

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WACO, TEXAS – The 2019 WPRA Roping Season officially came to an end on Saturday night, Oct. 26, at the Extraco Event Center in Waco, Texas, when world champions were crowned.

In the tightest race for No. 1 in 2019 and most lucrative race year, Kelsie Chace held on to defend her title from a year ago winning the breakaway roping world title with $51,709. This marked her third consecutive world title in the breakaway roping and seventh overall world title, which includes titles in tie-down and all-around as well. Lari Dee Guy was hot on her heels with $51,301. Canadian Makayla Boisjoli squeaked by to win the average title in Waco with a four head time of 10.7 seconds. Nicole Baggarley and Hope Thompson finished in tie for second with 10.8-second totals. Taylor Munsell took home the WPRA Rookie of the Year title finishing with $50,301 in the final 2019 world standings.

The first event finished on the day was in the tie-down roping when high school cowgirl Montanna “Gracie” Gambino captured the world title at the young age of 17. She will turn 18 on Dec. 12. She finished with $3,881 on the season besting Tanegai Zilverberg with $2,907. Gambino of Lindale, Texas, first bought her WPRA Junior Roping card in 2017 and has quickly climbed the ranks. She finished third in the average in Waco with 77.6 seconds on four head.

Jordan Fabrizio originally from Colorado now making her home in Canyon, Texas, won the average in a total time of 53.6 seconds on four head in the tie-down roping. Fabrizio barely missed winning the reserve world title falling four cents short of Zilverberg in the final world standings. Shelby Massie won the WPRA Rookie of the Year award.

Whitney DeSalvo of Springfield, Arkansas had already secured her third consecutive team roping heeling world title before she roped one head in Waco. DeSalvo finished the year with $26,261 on the year with the reserve world champion Annette Stahl finishing with $11,357. DeSalvo teamed with Hope Thompson in Waco to finish sixth in the average in a total time of 131.8 seconds on four head.

Jackie Crawford and Jessica Remsburg took home the average title for the second straight year with a time of 29.3 seconds. Finishing second was Beverly Robbins and Rylie Smith with a 38.1 seconds. That finish helped Robbins win her first world title with $27,698 over reserve world champion Crawford with $22,484. Kyla Stamps was crowned the WPRA Rookie of the Year on the heading side while Danielle Lowman won it on the heeling side.

Crawford defended her title in the all-around and added her 19^th world title in 2019 finishing the year with $7,173, just ahead of good friend Chace that finished with $6,087.

This year the Wrangler Network added $15,000 in bonus money and developed the Wrangler Network Tour for breakaway and barrel racing. The breakaway roping money was handed out in Waco with Sarah Morrissey of Ephrata, Washington, taking the top spot and an added $5,000 to her bank account. The bonus money was paid out to the top five resulting in Hope Thompson, Amanda Hodges, Macy Fuller and Rylee Potter also receiving checks.

Full results can be found at www.wpra.com. Photo credit: WPRA photo by James Phifer, Rodeobum.com.

 

 

 

 

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2019 WPRA World Champion Ropers:

All- Around: Jackie Crawford

Breakaway Roping: Kelsie Chace

Team Roping Header: Beverly Robbins

Team Roping Heeler: Whitney DeSalvo

Tie-Down Roping: Montanna “Gracie” Gambino