Defending Champ Taylor Santos Headlines 22 Invited to 2027 Cinch Timed Event Championship

The Lazy E Arena has named 22 of the all-around cowboys invited to the 2027 Cinch Timed Event Championship, with defending champ Taylor Santos leading the way in a stacked field for the March 4–6 event in Guthrie, Oklahoma.

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The best 25 Ironmen of rodeo will eventually fill one of Western sports’ most coveted back numbers, but the E has three spots left to announce as the lead-up to the 2027 CTEC gets rolling.

Taylor Santos comes back to defend after completing his comeback with the 2026 title, his second Ironman crown after a first at the 2020 CTEC. He makes his seventh start at the Lazy E in 2027.

Ketch Kelton, who won the 2025 championship as a 19-year-old with three round wins, returns for his third CTEC and a shot at another title.

The team ropers are well represented across the field. Coleman Proctor is back for a second run after a Round 2 win in his 2026 debut at 40, and 2022 champion Erich Rogers heads back for a 13th time. Russell Cardoza returns for his 15th Ironman.

The veterans anchor the list. K.C. Jones, a five-time champion (1993, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2012), is the most-tenured in the field, while two-time champ Kyle Lockett (2005, 2011) closes in on a quarter-century of starts. Three-time champion Paul David Tierney makes his 16th appearance, and 2023 champion Cody Doescher will be back for his 14th.

Among the second-year Ironmen, rookie-of-note Zane Kilgus returns after a Round 3 win in 2026, joined by NFR steer wrestlers Will Lummus and Clayton Hass, NFR calf ropers Quade Hiatt, Dylan Hancock, Blane Cox and Brushton Minton. Dalton Walker, Tyler Worley, JC Flake, Seth Hall, Nelson Wyatt and Riley Wakefield fill out the names in so far.

The Cinch Timed Event Championship streams annually on Roping.com, with the archives of the event available to members there.