Las Vegas bright lights had nothing on 11-year-old barrel racer Hadlee Landers from Elgin, who stormed through the 19-and-under field at the Vegas Tuffest Jr. junior rodeo and came home with more than $40,000 in prizes and payouts. The big week in Nevada also included a little star treatment, with Landers signing autographs alongside top roper Shad Mayfield during an appearance on the Strip.
According to The Lawton Constitution, Landers, a fifth-grader from Elgin, emerged as the big winner in the 19-and-under division at the 2025 Vegas Tuffest Jr. competition, which drew junior riders from across the country. The paper reports that her trip to Vegas featured multiple top runs and prize checks that gave a serious boost to her season totals.
How Landers Ran The Pattern
On the junior barrel racing circuit, Landers has been lining up against older competitors all year, and the numbers back it up. Results posted by BetterBarrelRaces list her as a regular competitor out of the Lawton and Elgin area, with recent placings that mirror her Vegas breakout. Her runs in Las Vegas were clean and aggressive, with tight turns around each barrel and minimal penalties, exactly the kind of pattern that gets rewarded in youth divisions.
Season Momentum
The Vegas performance did not come out of nowhere. Earlier in the year, the Cinch World Championship Junior Rodeo in July credited Landers with the Youth Barrel Racing event title and a championship payout, a sign that her results have been building in the right direction. Event coverage and records show Landers clocking sub-17-second runs against deep junior fields, momentum that has her pointed squarely at national youth finals, according to PBR.
Meet-and-Greet With A Champion
The Las Vegas trip came with a bonus memory off the arena dirt. Landers joined Shad Mayfield at the Stratosphere for a meet-and-greet where she signed autographs alongside the pro, a moment highlighted by The Lawton Constitution. Mayfield is a decorated professional who captured the PRCA All-Around World Championship in 2024, and his steady presence at NFR-era events and fan appearances is documented by NFR Experience. For Landers, the autograph table offered a quick look at the bigger rodeo world she is edging toward.
What Comes Next
Back in Elgin and the greater Lawton area, family and coaches expect the Vegas showing to raise Landers profile on the junior rodeo circuit and help open doors to more big-stage entries. Full timings and official standings from her recent runs are posted on junior circuit pages and event sites such as BetterBarrelRaces, where her name now sits alongside some of the toughest young barrel racers in the country.
