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Matt Triplett Finishes Second at PBR World Finals

Columbia Falls bull rider earned more than $260,000 during 2019 season

By Andy Viano

Columbia Falls bull rider Matt Triplett closed with five straight eight-second rides at the 2019 PBR Unleash the Beast World Finals Nov. 6-10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, earning second place in the competition and finishing the year ranked seventh in the world.

Triplett, 28, has put together back-to-back impressive seasons on the world’s premier bull riding tour, finishing fifth at the World Finals in 2018 and ending last season ranked 13th. The Columbia Falls High School graduate ranked in the top five in the world in 2014 and 2015 before multiple injuries temporarily slowed an impressive career that began in 2011.

Another Montanan, Volborg native Jess Lockwood, won the World Finals and a second career World Championship thanks to his performance in Las Vegas, edging out Jose Vitor Leme for the crown. Lockwood earned more than $1.8 million on tour this season. Triplett, who has earned north of $1.2 million in his career, took home more than $263,000 in 2019.

The 2020 PBR Unleash the Beast season kicks off Jan. 3-5 at Madison Square Garden in New York.