The 2019 Winter Cup took center stage this weekend with all the college squads taking a weekend off to vie for spots on the U.S. national team. Although it wasn’t an NCAA competition, the collegiate stars stole the show and collected all the podium finishes and national team spots on Friday and Sunday.
Each week, we’re dishing out a few superlatives for some of our favorite moments, looks and results from the weekend of competition. Below those, you’ll find your typical results and highlights from the meet.
Routine of the Week
Sam Mikulak (Michigan) – High Bar
https://twitter.com/USAGym/status/1096778729722793985
Mikulak’s high-flying routine from night one of the competition brought in the second highest score from the entire weekend and thrilled fans in the process.
Surprise Performance of the Week
Riley Loos (Stanford Commit) – Floor
Loos hit his floor routine on both days of Winter Cup to beat out several high profile seniors for third on the event and became the only junior competitor to earn a podium finish in the competition.
Most Winter Cup Landing
WINTER CUP WHAT ARE YOU pic.twitter.com/v0ilX0RpMy
— BalanceBeamSituation (@TheBBSituation) February 16, 2019
Infamously known for being a splatfest, Winter Cup never fails to bring us some hilarious mistakes.
The Highlights
| 2019 USA Gymnastics Winter Cup | |||||||
| Prelims Results | Finals Results | ||||||
| AA: Moldauer 84.500 | FX: Mikulak 29.350 | PH: Nedoroscik 30.150 | SR: Howard 29.750 | ||||
| VT: Van Wicklen 29.650 | PB: De Los Angeles 27.950 | HB: Mikulak 29.600 | |||||
The Big Storyline: In Friday’s senior all around competition, Oklahoma senior Yul Moldauer edged out former Michigan gymnast and two-time Olympian Sam Mikulak by half a tenth to take the all around title. Mikulak bounced back well on Sunday, taking the floor and high bar titles in addition to finishing on the podium on pommel horse, rings and parallel bars while Moldauer only competed pommel horse and finished fourth after a fall. The top three finishes on each event were all collected by collegiate gymnasts, with 10 spots taken by former NCAA competitors, seven by current NCAA gymnasts and Stanford commit Riley Loos nabbing the only podium finish for a junior by earning third on floor. Penn State’s pommel horse star Stephen Nedoroscik was the only current collegiate gymnast to win an event title, taking first on his signature event by nearly two points over Mikulak.
Implications: All 12 members named to the U.S. national team from this competition are current or former NCAA gymnasts. Seven were determined from the all around standings and five chosen by selection committee. The new national team includes current Oklahoma gymnasts Yul Moldauer and Genki Suzuki, former Sooners Allan Bower and Colin Van Wicklen, former Stanford gymnasts Akash Modi and Robert Neff, Ohio State senior Alec Yoder and former teammate Sean Melton, Penn State graduate Trevor Howard and current junior Stephen Nedoroscik, former California gymnast Donothan Bailey and former Michigan gymnast Sam Mikulak.
Records: Gymnasts from Oklahoma have won six of the past 10 all around titles at Winter Cups. Moldauer won the title in 2017 in addition to this weekend, Chris Brooks won in 2010 and 2014 and Jake Dalton won in 2011 and 2013.
Controversies: Based on results and readiness, many predicted that current Sooner Levi Anderson and former Cardinal Eddie Penev would be named to the national team, but neither were announced as members Monday morning.
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Article by Brandis Heffner
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