Missouri Valley College graduate and Marshall resident Tim O’Connell has won back-to-back titles as the PRCA World Champion Bareback Rider. He currently is competing at the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas.
According to prorodeo.com, the Zwingle, Iowa, native scored an 83.0 aboard a horse named “Girl Crush” during Round 7 of the 10-round event Wednesday night. However, he did not earn any prize money, finishing ninth.
O’Connell is currently averaging a third-place finish and is in second place through seven rounds at the NFR, but still sits atop the projected overall world standings.
Round 8 is tonight, and O’Connell is scheduled to be riding a horse named “Mars.” The final round is scheduled for Saturday, December 15.