NRA Finals wrap up stellar season

NRA Finals wrap up stellar season
11/7/25, 12:00 AM
By JOE KUSEK
Celie Rogers had a few changes this year.
Previously Celie Salmond, she and Tucker Rogers married at the start of June.
Now the couple is making plans to welcome their first child in March.
And while both huge life changes, one thing has remained the same for the talented Choteau cowgirl.
Her desire to compete.
Winning money in both barrel racing and breakaway roping, Salmond won her fifth consecutive all-around cowgirl year-end title at the 50thAnnual NRA Finals presented by nuWest Builders in Kalispell.
The NRA Finals were Oct. 30-Nov. 1 at Majestic Valley Arena. The premier rodeo featured the top 10 competitors in each event to determine the 2025 year-end champions from the Mountain Health Co-op Tour.
Rogers was one of four repeat champions that included her sister Molly Salmond (breakaway roping) and cousin Quinn McQueary of Belgrade (tie-down roping). Helena’s Lisa Warfield won her second straight barrel racing title, shattering the single-season earnings record. Molly Salmond is also from Choteau.
Jordan’s Kelly Murnion swept the all-around cowboy and bull riding championships for the second time in three years while Shawn Bird of Cut Bank did the same as a team roping header.
First time champions were Trevar McAllister of Ronan (bareback), East Helena’s Colton Haase (saddle bronc), Justus Peterson of Dillon and Chris White of Livingston (team roping heeler). McAllister and his brother Trapper finished 1-2 in the bareback standings. Trevar McAllister was the high-money earner at the NRA Finals, placing third, first and first in the three rounds and first in the average for $5,048.
Along with Warfield ($16,578), McQueary ($12,357) and Peterson ($10,148) set single-season earnings records. McQueary and Peterson are former Montana Tech football players.
Rogers earned $3,909 in barrel racing during the three-performances and another $1,406 in breakaway roping. She also won the Finals average in barrel racing, edging Ashley Schad of Whitefish by five-hundredths of a second.
That allowed her to slip past her sister for the all-around crown. The siblings have placed 1-2 in the all-around cowgirl standings four consecutive years.
The five straight all-around titles matches the record set by Lisa Scheffer of Hamilton (1982-86).
“Five is hard to put to words,” said Rogers. “It’s a testament to my horses and family and friends that kept me going. Without them, I would not have had that opportunity. It proved to myself I can do more than what my head tells me.”
She finished second in the final barrel racing standings and fifth in breakaway roping. Rogers also picked up a check in team roping with her father at her hometown rodeo on July 4.
Murnion earned $2,769 in bull riding and $2,048 in bareback riding. He was second in the bull riding average for fourth in bareback. The money won lifted him past Polson’s Caden Fitzpatrick in the bull riding standings and Jade Gardner of Ballantine in the all-around cowboy race.
The closest races were in team roping where White edged Dylan Johnson of Billings by $153 for the heelers while Bird was $159 better than Easton Bowers of Wyoming by $159 for the headers. Bird roped with Sam Levine of Wolf Creek while Johnson partnered with Malta’s Shayne Bishop. McQueary won the final two rounds and first in the average to finish $238 ahead of Gardner in tie-down roping.
Now the question becomes, is Rogers chasing six in 2026?
“2026 is going to look a little different,” she said of the changing family dynamic. “So we are just going to go from there and see what happens.”
And the competitor in her bubbled to the surface.
“But I’m not saying that won’t be the goal either,” Rogers finished with a laugh.
Year-end champions: Trevar McAllister, Ronan, bareback, $14,160; Colton Haase, East Helena, saddle bronc, $10,961; Kelly Murnion, Jordan, bull riding $9,604; Justus Peterson, Dillon, steer wrestling, $10,148; Quinn McQueary, Belgrade, tie-down roping, $12,357; Shawn Bird, Cut Bank, team roping header, $7,268; Chris White, Livingston, team roping heeler, $7,110; Lisa Warfield, Helena, barrel racing, $16,578; Molly Salmond, Choteau, breakaway roping, $10,381; Kelly Murnion, Jordan, men’s all-around, $15,585; Celie Rogers, Choteau, women’s all-around, $15,754.
Junior year-end champions: Chaney Akin, Cody, Wyoming, barrel racing, $4,510; Bentz Bolich, Belgrade, breakaway roping, $2,829; Sylvia Eash, Fortine, all-around, $3,306.
NRA Finals average winners: Trevar McAllister, Ronan, bareback, 253/3; Koy McAllister, Ronan, saddle bronc, 249/3; Owen Monfeldt, Cody, Wyoming, bull riding, 242.5/3; Casey Collins, Huntley, steer wrestling, 15.6/3; Quinn McQueary, Belgrade, tie-down roping 32.9/3; Jason Carlson, Two Dot and Cael Espenscheid, Big Piney, Wyoming, 22.3/3; Celie Rogers, Choteau, barrel racing, 47.50/3; Ellie Meeks, Geraldine, breakaway roping, 116.1/3.
Junior event average winners: Chaney Akin, Cody, Wyoming, barrel racing, 30.97/2; Brentz Bolich, Belgrade, breakaway roping, 6.0/2.
