Kayla DiCello
The second of the three key qualifiers to this year’s U.S. Championships takes place in Katy, Texas this weekend, and while a number of gymnasts have already earned their spots, there are still a number of seniors and juniors who will hope to hit their scores here.
So far, at least 31 seniors and 17 juniors are eligible to compete at nationals, based on a variety of factors (I say “at least” because we don’t always get access to camp scores, so there could be a few who have gotten in without us knowing). Members of the 2020 Olympic team and 2021 world championships teams automatically qualified (though many in this category won’t take advantage of this due to retirements, hiatuses, or prioritizing their NCAA careers), and gymnasts have also been able to earn their scores at national team training camps and through international assignments, as well as at the first official qualifier, the Winter Cup held in February.
But there are also a number of athletes who have qualified to compete elite this year – based either on scores from last year’s national championships as well as through training camps and elite qualifiers held in 2022 – but haven’t yet made the cut for nationals, and getting it out of the way at the American Classic will be a huge relief, as they can go into the U.S. Classic in a few weeks under no pressure.
USA Gymnastics released the list of athletes who are expected to attend the American Classic, which will take place this Friday, July 8 at 5:40 pm ET (streamed live on FlipNow). There are six seniors and 19 juniors on the roster, with both levels competing together on Friday.
Nearly everyone on the list for the American Classic still needs to earn their scores. Based on the qualifying rules, I believe Ciena Alipio and Lexi Zeiss are the only two who are safe, with Alipio surpassing the 50.500 all-around requirement at last year’s world championships qualifying meet, while Zeiss finished two tenths ahead of the score at a camp in March, though it’s unclear exactly which camps count, and if neither of these do, this will be an important meet for both of them.
The American Classic is coming on the heels of the most recent national team camp, which concludes tomorrow. Both Alipio and Zeiss, as well as a number of juniors set for the American Classic, are at the camp, which also serves as the selection meet for the Pan American Championships, beginning July 14 in Rio de Janeiro. It’s possible some on the American Classic roster will have earned their scores yesterday, and maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll get to see the results. 🙂
Five seniors, four juniors, and one traveling alternate for each division will make up the U.S. contingent traveling to Brazil. The selection competition was held on July 4, where the highest-ranked all-arounders in each division automatically qualified, and gymnasts interested in being selected could also choose to perform routines on select apparatuses at a second verification held today.
Most notably at camp is 2020 Olympic all-around champion Sunisa Lee, who is making her return to elite after completing a stunning freshman season at Auburn, and she’s joined by fellow Olympic champion Jade Carey, as well as 2021 world bronze medalist Kayla DiCello and her Kitakyushu teammate Konnor McClain, this year’s Winter Cup, DTB Pokal Team Challenge, and Jesolo all-around champion. Lee, Carey, and McClain have opted out of contending for Pan Ams, but DiCello is hoping to make her first post-worlds competitive appearance there after taking a break due to an injury.
A full list of camp attendees is below, as is the complete roster for the American Classic. Note that the Hopes Classic will also take place this weekend alongside the American Classic, serving as the qualifier for the Hopes Championships, but we’ll have a separate look at that field later this week.
U.S. National Team Camp Roster
| SENIORS | |
| Ciena Alipio, Midwest Skye Blakely, WOGA Charlotte Booth, Brandy Johnson’s Jade Carey, Oregon State* Kayla DiCello, Hill’s Addison Fatta, Prestige Shilese Jones, Auburn* Katelyn Jong, Metroplex Levi Jung-Ruivivar, Twin City Twisters Sunisa Lee, Midwest* |
Lauren Little, Everest Nola Matthews, Airborne Konnor McClain, WOGA* Zoe Miller, World Champions Elle Mueller, Twin City Twisters Brooke Pierson, WOGA Joscelyn Roberson, NE Texas Elite Katelyn Rosen, Twin City Twisters Ashlee Sullivan, WOGA* Lexi Zeiss, Twin City Twisters |
| JUNIORS | |
| Dulcy Caylor, World Champions Norah Christian, Cascade Elite West Nicole Desmond, First State Kieryn Finnell, Rochester Jayla Hang, Pacific Reign Madray Johnson, WOGA* Avery King, WOGA Zoey Molomo, Metroplex Ella Murphy, WOGA Michelle Pineda, Metroplex |
Christiane Popovich, Midwest Hezly Rivera, WOGA Simone Rose, Pacific Reign Audrey Snyder, First State Izzy Stassi, Gym X-Treme Tiana Sumanasekera, West Valley Gabby Van Frayen, Gym X-Treme Finley Weldon, WOGA Kelise Woolford, Buckeye Alicia Zhou, Love Gymnastics |
* Indicates athletes who are not pursuing Pan American Championships selection
American Classic Roster
| SENIORS | |
| Ciena Alipio, Midwest* Adriana Consoli, Pearland Elite Amelia Disidore, GAGE |
Marissa Neal, GAGE Camryn Richardson, Pearland Elite Lexi Zeiss, Twin City Twisters* |
| JUNIORS | |
| Sage Bradford, WOGA Dulcy Caylor, World Champions* Norah Christian, Cascade Elite West* Carsyn Coleman, Precision Anabelle Dewey, ETC Gymnastics Kieryn Finnell, Rochester* Gabrielle Hardie, Twin City Twisters Jazmyn Jimenez, Gymnastics Olympica Evelynn Lowe, GAGE Taylor McMahon, Texas Dreams |
Annalisa Milton, GAGE Malea Milton, GAGE Adele Ossi, Parkettes Christiane Popovich, Midwest* Sydney Snyder, First State Izzy Stassi, Gym X-Treme* Carly Weinberg, Buckeye Finley Weldon, WOGA* Paige Wills, Parkettes |
* Indicates athletes who are also at this week’s national team camp