Egusquiza, Lord Use Steady Approach To Secure Team Roping Title in Guymon

Fun but challenging. That’s the best description Dustin Egusquiza could come up with when describing the Guymon (Okla.) Pioneer Days Rodeo. 

The combination of a longer course and steers that have never been roped before can make life difficult for a team roping duo. Egusquiza often goes to the competition just hoping to place in one round if things go right. He doesn’t expect much else. 

That’s why the outcome over the weekend for he and partner Levi Lord felt a little strange because a win in Guymon is certainly hard to come by. 

“You’ve got to draw a good cow that kind of lets you catch him. There’s some of them that will just outrun you. There’s some of them that’ll walk. Some of them will throw themselves down,” Egusquiza said. “It’s really hard to heel there it looks like. I’ve never done it, but Levi did a great job. You’ve got to throw a big loop down there and he dang sure did it all three times. It seems like we made the same run three times in a row.”

Consistency certainly paid off in a big way for the team roping duo as their three runs earned money in two rounds while also adding up to the best aggregate time at the rodeo. 

Egusquiza and Lord placed seventh in the first go (7.0 seconds) to earn $243, followed by a fourth-place showing in the second (7.6) to secure $1,459. Their third-round time was 10th overall (8.0), but it was the total effort of 22.6 seconds that capped the big weekend in Oklahoma. All told, the pair left with $5,298 each. 

The victory is another in a running list of successes to start the 2024. The duo has picked up titles in Austin, Denver, Lufkin (Texas) and Odessa (Texas), along with sizable paydays at many of the biggest winter rodeos. 

The results have put the pair in an enviable position – near the top of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association World Standings heading into the summer schedule. 

Egusquiza leads the header standings by just over $100, while Lord is sitting second in the heeler race. Both cowboys have $70,234 to their credit thus far. 

Even though the partnership is only two seasons old, the friendship has been the bedrock their rise has been built on. It’s that understanding and trust that has made them so successful so quickly. 

“Aside from roping, we’ve been best friends for about eight or nine years. So before we started roping, we did everything together, practiced a lot together. So when we both kind of needed a partner and decided to start roping together, it was a pretty easy transition,” Lord said. “I think we’ve roped together long enough now to trust what the other one is going to do and we’re kind of on the same page with each other. It makes it pretty and our styles match up. We both like to go fast and be pretty aggressive.”

Both competitors previously reached the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo with other partners, but they made their run to Las Vegas together last year. And that’s a place they are certainly eager to get back to. 

Coming into the 2023 NFR, the duo sat fourth in their respective world standings, putting themselves in good position for a world title. Instead, they finished last in the average at NFR, dropping down to ninth in the world standings when all was said and done. 

That’s why a strong start to 2024 was so important. The duo were eager to put that finish behind them and start anew, focusing on the idea of getting back and roping for redemption. 

So far, that plan is going well and, with continued consistency, it should come to fruition. 

“A lot of people go out there and have a bad Finals. It’s hard to get it turned around when you get there and it goes bad,” Lord said. 

Added Egusquiza: “That’s where we’re planning on being, is there at NFR again and hopefully go in towards the top where we give ourselves the best chance to win the world.”

Bareback riders Jess Pope and Dean Thompson tied for the win, each posting rides of 90 points. Thompson rode Frontier Rodeo’s Breaking News to his score, while Thompson was on Frontier Rodeo’s Gun Fire. Each cowboy earned $3,149.

Bridger Anderson won the steer wrestling title with an aggregate time of 14.5 seconds on three head. Along with round money, Anderson earned $6,290. 

Saddle bronc rider Statler Wright posted an 87.5-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Watch Kitty to win the title and $3,920. 

Marcos Costa and Shad Mayfield tied for the tie-down roping title, each recording an aggregate time of 23.9 seconds. Costa walked away with $9,224 in total earnings from Guymon, while Mayfield left with $13,911. 

Barrel racer Dona Rule finished her two runs in 34.25 seconds to win the championship. Rule earned $6,922 at the rodeo. 

Breakaway ropers Jill Tanner and Rylee George each finished their two runs in combined times of 5.3 seconds to tie for the championship. Tanner left with $5,364 in earnings, while George secured $4,771. 

JR Stratford’s 89.5-point ride on Frontier Rodeo’s Moon Flower won him the title and $4,061.