Upcoming U.S. Championships Boasts Deep Junior and Senior Fields

The U.S. Gymnastics Championships will take place August 8 through 11 in Kansas City, Missouri. Simone Biles is favored to earn a record sixth all around title and could potentially win any (or all) of the individual events. In addition to the excitement Biles is sure to generate, both the junior and senior championships promise to be highly competitive displays of top tier gymnastics. There will be a heavy NCAA presence in both divisions: Florida leads the way with eight gymnasts, while UCLA and Utah boast five and four gymnasts respectively.  

Juniors

Gymnast Club College Freshman Season
Ciena Alipio*  West Valley Gymnastics School uncommitted 2023
Sydney Barros*  Texas Dreams UCLA 2024
Love Birt First State uncommitted 2025
Skye Blakely*  WOGA uncommitted 2024
Sophia Butler*  Discover   Florida 2023
Kailin Chio  Gymcats uncommitted 2025
Kayla DiCello*  Hill’s Florida 2023
Addison Fatta Prestige uncommitted 2024
eMjae Frazier Parkettes uncommitted 2023
Karis German*  World Champions Centre Alabama 2023
Olivia Greaves*  MG Elite Florida 2023
Levi Jung-Ruivivar Paramount Elite uncommitted 2025
Lauren Little  Everest Alabama 2023
Lily Lippeatt*  Cincinnati LSU 2023
Nola Matthews  Airborne uncommitted 2026
Konnor McClain*  Revolution uncommitted 2024
Zoe Miller World Champions Centre uncommitted 2024
Kaylen Morgan*  Everest Michigan 2023
Sydney Morris  First State uncommitted 2023
Sophie Parenti San Mateo uncommitted 2025
Anya Pilgrim  Hill’s uncommitted 2024
Ariel Posen MG Elite UCLA 2023
Sienna Robinson  Browns  uncommitted 2024
Katelyn Rosen Mavericks UCLA 2024
Lyden Saltness  Midwest Gymnastics Center Auburn 2024
Jamison Sears World Class uncommitted 2024
Ava Siegfeldt  World Class Oklahoma 2023
Mya Witte Genie’s Gymnastics uncommitted 2024
Ella Zirbes Flips Utah 2024

*Junior National Team member

The junior championships should be a fierce competition with no clear front-runner heading in. U.S. Classic champion Konnor McClain, junior worlds team members Kayla DiCello, Skye Blakely and Sydney Barros, American Classic champion Ciena Alipio, and Gymnix all around silver medalist Olivia Greaves have consistently finished at the top of the junior ranks this year. However, Sophia Butler, Lily Lippeatt and Kaylen Morgan have also turned in impressive international performances while numerous others—eMjae Frazier, Anya Pilgrim and Karis German—have shown they too can challenge the scores from that top group.   

Seniors 

Gymnast Club College Freshman Season
Simone Biles* World Champions Centre professional N/A
Sloane Blakely*  WOGA Florida 2022
Jade Carey*  Arizona Sunrays Oregon State 2021 (deferred from 2019)
Jordan Chiles* World Champions Centre UCLA 2021 (deferred from 2020)
Kara Eaker*  GAGE Utah 2022
Aleah Finnegan*  GAGE LSU 2022
Morgan Hurd*  First State Florida 2021 (deferred from 2020)
Shilese Jones*  Future Gymnastics Academy Florida 2021
Emily Lee  West Valley Gymnastics School UCLA 2022
Sunisa Lee*  Midwest Gymnastics Center Auburn 2022
Grace McCallum*  Twin City Twisters Utah 2022
Riley McCusker*  MG Elite Florida 2021 (deferred from 2020)
Gabby Perea*  Legacy Elite California  2021
MyKayla Skinner Desert Lights Utah 2017
Trinity Thomas* University of Florida Florida 2019
Faith Torrez  Legacy Elite Oklahoma 2023
Leanne Wong*  GAGE uncommitted 2022

*Senior National Team member

With the Tokyo Olympics less than a year away, the results of these championships will help determine both the 2019-2020 national team and who will be invited to selection camp for the upcoming world championships in Stuttgart, Germany.  

While SImone Biles is the obvious gold medal favorite, the remaining senior field is exceptionally deep and competitive; any of these gymnasts could realistically contend for a medal this weekend or an invitation to the selection camp. Perhaps with this in mind, all five of the 2019 Pan American WAG team members—Kara Eaker, Aleah Finnegan, Morgan Hurd, Riley McCusker and Leanne Wong—have opted to compete this weekend (some of their male counterparts will be offering their results from those games for consideration rather than participate at nationals). If these five understandably choose not to compete full difficulty, the remaining competitors could capitalize to earn a top all around placement.

Emma Malabuyo (UCLA ’22) and Shania Adams (Alabama ‘21) both qualified to championships but withdrew due to injury.


Article by Claire Billman

Like what you see? Consider donating to support our efforts throughout the year!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.