CSC grad spotlighted at National Finals Rodeo

Jordan Tierney, who was born and raised at Oral, South Dakota, joined with Miss Rodeo Canada, Alicia Erickson, while leading the grand entry prior to all 10 sessions at the NFR and also helped distribute the awards to the cowboys and cowgirls after each performance.

In addition, she was on call to make special appearances and represent rodeo.  

Tierney graduated from Chadron State in May 2017 with a major in business administration and a minor in marketing. Prior to being crowned Miss Rodeo America a year ago during the NFR in Las Vegas, she served as Miss Rodeo South Dakota 2019. 

Tierney is a member of a prominent rodeo family. Her father, Paul, was the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association All-Around World Champion Cowboy in 1980 after being the reserve champion the previous two years. He qualified for the NFR nine times.

Tierney’s mother, the former Robin Bail, was Miss Rodeo South Dakota in 1985 and was second runner-up in the Miss Rodeo America pageant that year.

Both Tierney and her sister, Amy, were members of the rodeo team while attending Chadron State.  Amy placed third in goat tying at the College National Finals Rodeo in 2013.

Tierney told a reporter earlier this year that because her mother had been Miss Rodeo South Dakota, while growing up and competing in Little Britches, 4-H, high school and college rodeos, she thought about entering a queen contest someday. But she didn’t make the decision until Amy suggested she should try it in February 2018.

Things happened fast after she got started. That summer, Tierney entered her first contest at the Days of ’76 Rodeo at Deadwood and won. A couple of months later, she entered the state pageant and also earned that crown and took over as Miss Rodeo South Dakota in January 2019. That December, she was among the 27 state winners competing at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas and made it three-for-three while claiming the Miss Rodeo America honors.

When Tierney received the Miss Rodeo America title, she became an official representative of the PRCA. Stories about the honor said it meant she would be traveling perhaps 100,000 miles and appearing at nearly 100 rodeos while also being on call to serve as an ambassador for the Western way of life at numerous other functions.