Katelyn Jong
This year’s Winter Cup – which includes both men’s and women’s elite competition, as well as the Elite Team Cup for junior men and the Nastia Liukin Cup for women in level 10 – kicks off next weekend in Frisco, Texas.
As the first elite competition in the U.S. both for 2022 and the new quad, the Winter Cup will determine a new senior national team as well as the selection for multiple world cups as well as the DTB Pokal Team Challenge and Mixed Cup for the men, and the women’s competition will also determine the athletes selected for DTB Pokal, with the top three all-arounders automatically named to the team.
The senior women’s field is headlined by 2021 world team members eMjae Frazier and Konnor McClain, along with 2021 junior national, Pan American Championships, and Pan American Games champion Katelyn Jong and Games silver all-around medalist Kailin Chio making their senior debuts. Other senior national team members set to compete are Ciena Alipio, Skye Blakely, Addison Fatta, and Zoe Miller.
2021 Winter Cup junior champion Ella Kate Parker will return in an attempt to defend her title, though she’ll see a strong challenge from Junior Pan Am Games gold medalists Madray Johnson and Tiana Sumanasekera, as well as fellow junior national team members Avery King and Gabby Van Frayen.
In the men’s field, 2020 Olympian Yul Moldauer will be the main attraction, with his biggest competition coming from first-year senior Asher Hong in his debut at 17. 2021 worlds team member Alex Diab is also on the roster, as are fellow senior national team members Vitaliy Guimaraes, Ian Gunther, Paul Juda, and Riley Loos.
A full list of gymnasts is below. Note that the Twin City Twisters gymnasts were not included in the USA Gymnastics release, but I have confirmed that they are expected to attend.
SENIOR WOMEN
| Ciena Alipio, Midwest Sydney Barros, World Champions Skye Blakely, WOGA Charlotte Booth, Brandy Johnson’s Kailin Chio, Gymcats Addison Fatta, Prestige eMjae Frazier, Parkettes Karis German, World Champions Katelyn Jong, Metroplex Levi Jung-Ruivivar, Twin City Twisters Kaliya Lincoln, WOGA |
Konnor McClain, WOGA Zoe Miller, World Champions Kaylen Morgan, Everest Elle Mueller, Twin City Twisters Marissa Neal, GAGE Brooke Pierson, WOGA Joscelyn Roberson, NE Texas Elite Katelyn Rosen, Twin City Twisters Ashlee Sullivan, WOGA Lexi Zeiss, Twin City Twisters |
JUNIOR WOMEN
| Nicole Desmond, First State Amelia Disidore, GAGE Kieryn Finnell, Rochester Jayla Hang, Ascend Madray Johnson, WOGA Avery King, WOGA Myli Lew, San Mateo Annalisa Milton, GAGE Ella Murphy, WOGA |
Ella Kate Parker, Cincinnati Claire Pease, WOGA Michelle Pineda, Metroplex Azaraya Ra-Akbar, World Class Hezly Rivera, WOGA Simone Rose, Ascend Audrey Snyder, First State Tiana Sumanasekera, West Valley Gabby Van Frayen, Gym X-Treme |
SENIOR MEN
| Michael Artlip, Penn State Fuzzy Benas, Oklahoma Jeremy Bischoff, Stanford Landen Blixt, Infinity Crew Bold, Michigan Garrett Braunton, Air Force Taylor Burkhart, Stanford Matt Cormier, Penn State Evan Davis, Iowa GymACT Mathew Davis, Army West Point Alex Diab, USOPTC Isaiah Drake, Navy Mike Fletcher, Illinois Jack Freeman, Oklahoma James Friedman, Iowa GymACT Raydel Gamboa, Oklahoma Vitaliy Guimaraes, Oklahoma Ian Gunther, Stanford Dallas Hale, Cypress Academy Kazuki Hayashi, Ohio State Asher Hong, Cypress Academy Evan Hymanson, Stanford Boys |
Michael Jaroh, Penn State Paul Juda, Michigan Nicolas Kuebler, Stanford Ian Lasic-Ellis, Stanford Toby Liang, Roswell Gymnastics Riley Loos, Stanford Caleb Melton, Apollo Gymnastics Yul Moldauer, 5280 Gymnastics Robert Neff, USOPTC Noah Newfeld, UC Berkeley Zachary Nunez, Oklahoma Cole Partridge, USA Gym World Joey Pepe, Nebraska Curran Phillips, Stanford Fred Richard, MEGA Blake Sun, Stanford Colin Van Wicklen, Oklahoma Colt Walker, Stanford David Willett, Michigan Ignacio Yockers, Pride Gymnastics Khoi Young, Stanford |
Article by Lauren Hopkins