Morgan Bagnell went to Cumberland, Maine, for the last two days of the 2026 regular season trailing Emma Smith by $616 in the Resistol Rookie standings.
She left as the 2026 Resistol Rookie of the Year.
Bagnell placed second on Sept. 29 in 15.35 for $424, then won on Sept. 30, the final day of the season, in 15.34 for $497. That put her $305.62 ahead of Smith.
Bagnell finished the season at $61,665 on 72 rodeos and Smith at $61,359 on 79, on the WPRA’s rookie board posted Oct. 2. The standings are unofficial until the WPRA audits the final week of the season.
Makenzie Mayes won the 2025 title by $15,000.
Bagnell led the rookie standings from the winter through the summer run. She was up $20,000 in May and still on top in July. Her total did not move from mid-July until the final week of the season. During that gap, Bagnell broke her foot and underwent surgery before her return to the arena.
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Smith, a rancher from Pleasanton, Texas, spent the summer cashing. She won Bozeman and Baker, Mont., in August, placed at Heber City, Logan, Caldwell and Kennewick, and took over the lead. On the Sept. 1 board she was $1,462 in front, and she added three more checks in September at Scottsdale, Ariz., Salt Lake City and Omaha.
Bagnell board was quiet until the final week started in Texas. She tied for sixth at Pasadena in 14.61 for $875, was sixth at Amarillo in 16.60 for $764, 11th at Stephenville in 17.41 for $335 and second at Tyler in 15.21 for $1,734.
Smith placed eighth at Pasadena in 14.65 for $584 and finished ahead of Bagnell at Amarillo, third in 16.36 for $1,528.
Both barrel racers were aboard star horses. Bagnell rode Sir Epic, “Sir,” for most of the late season. She bought him from Dave and Lori Zabel in 2023, and Brittany Pozzi Tonozzi rode him in 2025. She also relied heavily on CouldaWoodaShoulda “Iago.”
Smith rode Return Of The Mac, “Creed,” for much of the late season. Danyelle Campbell trained him and won the 2021 BFA World Championship Futurity on him, and she has helped Smith with her riding.
After Texas, Bagnell was $616 behind Smith with only Cumberland, Maine, remaining on the schedule, and she went. Either of her two Cumberland checks alone was more than the margin she finished with.
The two finished back to back in the world standings as well. Bagnell is No. 39 at $56,753 and Smith is No. 40 at $56,695. Catherine Asmussen of Laredo, Texas, finished third in the rookie race at $41,028.
Bagnell said in an April interview with BarrelRacing.com that her stepdad, stock contractor Pete Carr, likes to tell her not to have a rearview mirror.
“You have to be forward thinking because it’s a marathon, not a sprint,” Bagnell said.
2026 Resistol Rookie of the Year standings, top 15 (final, unofficial)
| Rank | Rider | Hometown | Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Morgan Bagnell | Snowmass Village, CO | $61,665.03 |
| 2 | Emma Smith | Pleasanton, TX | $61,359.41 |
| 3 | Catherine Asmussen | Laredo, TX | $41,028.21 |
| 4 | Sonya Madsen | Honeyville, UT | $24,333.84 |
| 5 | Parker Asam | Murrieta, CA | $18,895.11 |
| 6 | Jaylan Neatherlin | Brock, TX | $16,608.54 |
| 7 | Mylee Modlin | Blanchard, OK | $16,339.66 |
| 8 | Brooke Krolczyk | Cypress, TX | $14,804.47 |
| 9 | Savannah Shumpert | Mooreville, MS | $14,200.17 |
| 10 | Hazlee McKenzie | Muldrow, OK | $14,136.20 |
| 11 | Chery Pinkston | Kaufman, TX | $11,015.67 |
| 12 | Ashley Dixon | Silverdale, WA | $10,409.05 |
| 13 | Alona James | Ada, OK | $9,684.23 |
| 14 | Lexus Hommer | Fort Pierce, FL | $9,299.07 |
| 15 | Maya Zerbe | Womelsdorf, PA | $8,152.60 |