Luke Brown and Buddy Hawkins won the 2026 American Rodeo Eastern Regionals team roping with a 4.68-second run in the final round April 11. Brown and Hawkins won $10,000 a man and punched their tickets to The American Rodeo Championship Weekend in Arlington, Texas, May 22–23.
As the first of three regional semifinals on the road to The American Rodeo, the Lexington stop set the tone for the 2026 Contender field.
Athletes advanced to the Eastern Semifinals through The American Rodeo’s open qualifier system, which runs nationwide and gives ropers at every level a shot to earn their way in. The field also includes competitors ranked No. 6–20 in the prior year’s PRCA world standings, stacking the draw with both up-and-comers and proven names.
