Shane Hanchey secured the 2026 Wilderness Circuit average championship in Heber City, Utah, after entering the final round with a 3.5-second advantage. The 2013 PRCA World Champion finished with a combined time of 26.0 seconds on three head to claim the title.
Hanchey finished 4.7 seconds ahead of reigning PRCA World Champion Riley Webb and Tate Crandall, who split a second at 30.7 seconds. The championship win also earned Hanchey a qualification for the 2027 NFR Open, scheduled for July 13-17 in Colorado Springs, Colo. Hanchey noted that winning the average was the only way to secure that opportunity.
Hanchey's championship run included drawing the same calf used by Webb for a Round 2 victory and by Quade Hiatt for an opening-round win. This victory adds to Hanchey's history in the Wilderness Circuit, where he previously claimed the 2023 year-end title. The win earned him $9,502 toward the upcoming season.
The competition featured an unusual connection between the top two finishers, as Hanchey and Webb competed aboard Webb's horse, Patron. Both athletes are headed to the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo presented by Tractor Supply, which takes place Dec. 3-12 in Las Vegas. Webb enters as the regular season standings leader, while Hanchey will enter the Thomas & Mack Center in fifth.
Other winners from the event in Heber City included bareback rider Dean Thompson, steer wrestler Cash Robb, team ropers Hagen Peterson and Dylin Ahlstrom, saddle bronc rider Ryder Wright, breakaway roper Ryland Pintar, barrel racer Amanda Butler, and bull rider Colten Fritzlan.
Hanchey, who spends summers in Spanish Fork, Utah, stays with longtime friend Clint Robinson while competing throughout the region. Looking ahead, Hanchey aims to return to world championship contention, noting his objective has remained unchanged since winning his first gold buckle thirteen years ago.
