Texas college rodeo returns: Texas Tech’s free Lubbock event and Tarleton’s six-title run

Texas Tech University opens its 77th annual college rodeo Thursday, Oct. 29, running three days through Saturday, Oct. 31, at the Texas Tech Equestrian Center, 5712 Alcove Ave., in Lubbock. Evening performances start at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and general admission for those shows is $10. On Friday, Oct. 30, Texas Tech students get in free with a current university ID, and on Saturday, Oct. 31, children under 12 get in free. For a family in and around Lubbock, the weekend shapes up as a short drive and, at most, a $10 ticket per adult on the kids' free night.

Nine events in three days

The rodeo features nine National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association disciplines: bareback riding, barrel racing, breakaway roping, bull riding, goat tying, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, team roping, and tie-down roping. Slack competitions begin at 9 a.m. Friday and Saturday mornings, and the short-go finals run Saturday evening, so there is competition worth seeing beyond the evening shows. These are enrolled student-athletes competing their way through an NIRA season, not touring professionals. Chance Brooks, chair of Texas Tech's Department of Animal & Food Sciences, said, "Texas Tech Rodeo has a proud tradition of student achievement and experiential learning".

The Lubbock weekend is a National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association Caprock Region event, a stop on a competitive regional circuit. Head rodeo coach Swaize Lee, a Texas Tech graduate who became permanent head coach in June 2025 after serving as interim coach from October 2024, said, "Last year was a blast, and I'm excited to build on that momentum with even more energy, bigger screens, fun costumes, and an unforgettable weekend of rodeo entertainment". Lee added, "We want to create an experience that celebrates our sport, engages our fans, and makes this a weekend everyone looks forward to". Food trucks, merchandise and other vendors, and a Saturday costume contest for kids 12 and younger round out the weekend.

Tarleton's six-title run

Elsewhere in the state, Tarleton State's men's and women's rodeo teams captured six event titles at the Weatherford College Lone Star Region Rodeo, held Oct. 9–10, 2026, at the Parker County Sheriff's Posse Rodeo Grounds in Weatherford. Wacey Trujillo won the women's all-around title and placed second in goat tying. The six event champions: Westen Chandler in bareback riding with 168.5 points, Cort Boyd in tie-down roping at 17.9 seconds, Makenzee Wheelhouse in breakaway roping at 5.0 seconds, Waitley Sharon in saddle bronc riding with 172 points, Rylee Abel in goat tying at 13.2 seconds, and Skyler Nicholas in barrel racing at 34.5 seconds. The sweep ran deep — Tarleton advanced 38 contestants across nine events to the short round. The program dates to 1947 and has won multiple NIRA national championships, including back-to-back men's national team titles at the College National Finals Rodeo in 2024 and 2025, with the women finishing reserve champions both years.

Tarleton's season moves next to the Angelo State University college rodeo, Oct. 22–24, 2026, at Fiesta Arena on the San Angelo Fairgrounds, another NIRA Lone Star Region event. The Lone Star Region brings together Angelo State, Cisco College, Ranger College, Sul Ross State, Tarleton State, Vernon College, and Weatherford College. Tarleton's Angelo State stop closes Oct. 24, and Texas Tech opens in Lubbock five days later, on Oct. 29 — two chances to see college rodeo in Texas within a single week.

Mark the calendar

The 77th annual Texas Tech college rodeo runs Oct. 29–31, 2026, at the Texas Tech Equestrian Center, 5712 Alcove Ave., Lubbock, with 7 p.m. performances and $10 evening admission. Texas Tech students enter free Friday, Oct. 30, with ID, and children under 12 enter free Saturday, Oct. 31. Bring the kids in costume Saturday for the children's costume contest, and food trucks and vendors are on site through the weekend. Between Tarleton's six-title sweep at Weatherford and Tech's free family weekend in Lubbock, college rodeo is a fall outing measured in a drive and a few dollars, not a ticket price.