The 2019 U.S. National Championships took place this weekend in Kansas City, Missouri, and offered plenty of excitement.
As predicted, the junior competition was a tight race. Future Gator Kayla DiCello (Florida ‘23) edged out Konnor McClain (uncommitted ‘24) by just a tenth to claim all around gold. DiCello’s future classmate Olivia Greaves finished third. All three were named to the junior national team along with the rest of the top 10 finishers: Skye Blakely (uncommitted ‘24), Sydney Barros (UCLA ‘24), Ciena Alipio (uncommitted ‘23), Anya Pilgrim (uncommitted ‘24), Lilly Lippeatt (LSU ‘23), eMjae Frazier (uncommitted ‘23) and Sophia Butler (Florida ‘23).
The first night of the senior competition was notably uneven, with all but a handful of gymnasts incurring major deductions on at least one event (night two went more smoothly for the majority of the field). To no one’s surprise, Biles won a record sixth senior all around title despite her struggles on night one. In addition to her all around victory, she also placed first on vault, beam and floor and third on bars. However, the talk of the competition was the two new skills she debuted: a double twisting double tuck dismount on beam and a triple twisting double tuck on floor. First year senior Sunisa Lee (Auburn ‘22) placed second all around after impressive performances both nights, while Grace McCallum (Utah ‘22) earned third place on the strength of a fantastic second day of competition. At the meet’s conclusion, USAG named 11bu gymnasts to the senior national team: Biles, Lee, McCallum, Morgan Hurd (Florida ‘21), Leanne Wong (uncommitted ‘23), Jordan Chiles (UCLA ‘21), Jade Carey (OSU ‘21), MyKayla Skinner (Utah ‘17), Trinity Thomas (Florida ‘19), Kara Eaker (Utah ‘22) and Riley McCusker (Florida ‘21).
Alabama
| Name | Freshman Season | VT | UB | BB | FX | AA |
| Karis German | 2023 |
14.300 14.150 (9) |
12.750 10.450 (24) |
12.750 12.700 (16T) |
12.900 11.750 (25T) |
52.700 49.050 (18) |
| Lauren Little | 2023 |
12.900 12.750 (28) |
13.250 13.150 (7) |
12.150 12.950 (22) |
12.750 12.500 (16) |
51.050 51.350 (15) |
German finished a respectable 11th on night one but unfortunately couldn’t repeat that performance on night two. She finished 18th over all after mistakes on bars and floor but continues to show solid difficulty and beautiful technique.
Little similarly struggled, though she managed an impressive seventh place on bars thanks to strong routines both days.
Auburn
| Name | Freshman Season | VT | UB | BB | FX | AA |
| Sunisa Lee | 2022 |
13.850 13.750 |
14.750 15.050 (1) |
14.350 13.850 (4) |
13.950 14.00 (3) |
56.900 56.650 (2) |
| Lyden Saltness | 2024 |
13.000 13.650 (18) |
12.850 9.900 (28) |
12.350 12.950 (19T) |
12.000 12.700 (24) |
50.200 49.200 (26T) |
Saltness had a difficult weekend, finishing 26th overall after struggles on all the events. She continues to show tremendous difficulty rivaling that of the top group and a willingness to be aggressive in her execution; this grit and determination will serve her well at Auburn.
Lee not only won the “non-Simone division,” but also won bars and a surprise bronze on floor. Lee, who has not competed all around since winning the 2019 City of Jesolo Trophy due to a leg injury, unequivocally proved that she is among the best in the world.
California
| Name | Freshman Season | VT | UB | BB | FX | AA |
| Gabby Perea | 2021 |
13.150 13.150 |
13.000 13.000 (10) |
12.800 13.150 (16) |
13.450 12.600 (12) |
52.400 51.900 (15) |
Unfortunately, things never came together for Perea during this competition, and she finished 15th all around. However, she showed flashes of the difficult skills and beautiful execution that have made her a fan favorite over the years, including a gorgeous stuck double layout off of bars on night two.
Florida
| Name | Freshman Season | VT | UB | BB | FX | AA |
| Sloane Blakely | 2022 |
13.900 13.700 |
0.000 |
13.400 13.950 (9) |
12.650 12.550 (16) |
39.950 40.200 |
| Sophia Butler | 2023 |
14.650 14.500 (3) |
13.100 12.600 (12T) |
12.100 13.050 (21) |
13.300 12.050 (13) |
53.150 52.200 (10) |
| Kayla DiCello | 2023 |
14.700 14.800 (1) |
13.700 14.000 (3T) |
13.900 13.800 (4) |
13.70014.100 (1) |
56.000 56.700 (1) |
| Olivia Greaves | 2023 |
14.400 14.400 (5) |
14.450 14.500 (1) |
13.200 12.950 (10T) |
13.650 13.300 (4) |
55.700 55.150 (3) |
| Morgan Hurd | 2021 (deferred from 2020) |
14.450 14.350 |
14.400 14.600 (2) |
14.150 13.950 (5) |
12.050 13.750 (13) |
55.050 56.650 (4) |
| Shilese Jones | 2021 |
14.650 13.850 |
12.850 12.00 (14) |
13.450 13.550 (11) |
12.850 13.650 (9) |
53.800 53.900 (12) |
| Riley McCusker | 2021 (deferred from 2020) |
14.450 14.650 |
13.500 13.900 (7T) |
14.500 0.000 (17) |
13.250 0.000 (17) |
55.700 28.550 (16) |
| Trinity Thomas | 2019 |
14.050 13.900 |
14.200 14.250 (4) |
13.400 13.650 (10) |
13.750 11.550 (15) |
55.400 53.350 (9) |
Florida came away as a big winner this weekend, with six of its eight athletes being named to the national team and earning a collective eight medals. In addition to winning the junior championship, DiCello earned titles on both vault and floor while all around bronze medalist Greaves won bars. Their future teammate Butler finished third on vault and 10th all around.
The Gators in the senior group all struggled at some point over the grueling two day competition but still impressed over all. First year senior Blakely continued to shine on beam, finishing a respectable ninth in a field that includes multiple international medal contenders. Jones showed huge potential on all events, particularly vault (finishing fifth); the power and talent are there. McCusker finished fourth on night one despite a fall on bars and struggles on floor (her Yurchenko double full was excellent both nights, though). She ultimately scratched from the competition on night two due to illness but still earned a spot on the national team. Hurd had a mostly fantastic first day of competition, trailing Biles by only seven tenths going into the final rotation. She had an uncharacteristically off floor routine, balking on her front layout to double twist and falling on an improvised double layout. She had no problems on night two, rising from ninth place to fourth over all and winning second on bars.
Rising sophomore Thomas was impressive throughout championships, particularly on bars where she finished fourth. Her only major issue came on floor night two, where she fell on both her first and last passes. She still managed to finish ninth all around.
LSU
| Name | Freshman Season | VT | UB | BB | FX | AA |
| Aleah Finnegan | 2022 |
14.500 14.025 (4) |
12.000 12.900 (13) |
13.200 13.200 (15) |
13.550 13.650 (6) |
53.150 54.350 (13) |
| Lilly Lippeatt | 2023 |
13.050 13.250 (21T) |
13.550 13.600 (5) |
12.850 13.300 (10T) |
13.450 13.200 (5) |
52.900 53.350 (8) |
Lippeatt continues to impress, showing unique combinations—including a whip full to double tuck on floor—and consistent execution. She finished fifth on both uneven bars and floor and eighth all around.
Finnegan, recovering from a mild concussion sustained at the Pan American Games, displayed her trademark power and clean execution to earn fourth on vault and sixth on floor. Though she missed being named to the national team, she finished her competition on a high note with a fantastic showing on floor. She will be automatically invited to the worlds selection camp due to her place on the Pan Ams team.
Michigan
| Name | Freshman Season | VT | UB | BB | FX | AA |
| Kaylen Morgan | 2023 |
13.100 13.350 (19) |
12.800 12.900 (12T) |
11.650 10.700 (29) |
13.300 13.00 (7) |
50.850 49.950 (23) |
Issues on beam both nights kept Morgan from replicating her success from earlier in the season, but she turned in strong performances on the other events. The quality of her floor performance is already comparable many current NCAA gymnasts, and her huge Yurchenko full has plenty of room to upgrade.
Oklahoma
| Name | Freshman Season | VT | UB | BB | FX | AA |
| Ava Siegfeldt | 2023 |
13.800 13.850 (12) |
11.900 12.150 (22) |
13.300 13.100 (8) |
12.700 11.300 (29) |
51.700 50.400 (16) |
| Faith Torrez | 2023 |
14.600 14.500 |
11.500 12.750 (16) |
14.050 13.900 (7) |
13.000 13.100 (11) |
53.150 54.250 (14) |
Over all, Siegfeldt had a strong showing, particularly on vault and beam. Her Yurchenko one and a half is especially dynamic and looks ready for an upgrade.
First year senior Torrez, coming off of back-to-back strong performances at the American and U.S. Classics, struggled both nights on bars, which kept her out of a top 10 finish. However, her vault and beam both days were excellent, and her floor work is reminiscent of future teammate Olivia Trautman. She remains one to watch.
Oregon State
| Name | Freshman Season | VT | UB | BB | FX | AA |
| Jade Carey | 2021 (deferred from 2019) |
15.000 14.875 (2) |
13.300 11.650 (12) |
13.500 13.100 (13) |
14.300 14.100 (2) |
56.100 53.850 (7) |
Carey continues to establish herself as a viable all arounder. She finished third overall night one (even without mistakes from top all arounders, her 56.100 score could have challenged for a podium spot). Though a fall on bars during night two pushed her back to seventh, she earned second on both vault and floor. Though she will most likely continue to be used as a specialist due to the U.S. team’s depth, Carey keeps demonstrating that she has the skills to be a standout collegiate all arounder.
UCLA
| Name | Freshman Season | VT | UB | BB | FX | AA |
| Sydney Barros | 2024 |
14.500 14.150 (6T) |
13.850 13.850 (3T) |
13.400 12.850 (9) |
13.500 13.700 (2) |
55.250 54.550 (5) |
| Jordan Chiles | 2021 (deferred from 2020) |
14.750 14.750 |
13.550 13.850 (7T) |
13.300 13.600 (12) |
13.750 13.300 (7) |
55.350 55.500 (6) |
| Emily Lee | 2022 |
14.150 14.400 |
12.650 12.150 (15) |
14.150 13.900 (6) |
13.550 13.000 (8) |
54.500 53.450 (11) |
| Ariel Posen | 2023 |
13.150 13.250 (20) |
10.450 12.500 (26T) |
13.250 13.200 (7) |
12.600 12.500 (18T) |
49.450 51.450 (22) |
| Katelyn Rosen | 2024 |
13.400 13.600 (16) |
11.800 11.850 (23) |
13.300 12.550 (13) |
12.600 12.500 (18T) |
51.100 50.500 (19) |
Junior Barros placed fifth all around and top 10 on all events—including a silver on floor and bronze on bars—cementing her reputation as one of the top U.S. juniors. Unfortunately, Rosen and Posen both struggled on bars (a common theme for the weekend), which held them back in the rankings, though Posen did secure a seventh place finish on beam.
Despite difficulties on bars, senior Lee had a great weekend, finishing eleventh overall and with top 10 finishes on beam and floor. Her Yurchenko double is also very solid and will be a welcome addition to the Bruins’ weakest event.
Chiles continued to demonstrate her newfound confidence and consistency, hitting four-for-four on both nights of competition, claiming the highest average execution score (8.531) for the seniors. Her impressive performance earned her a spot on the national team. Though she will need to increase her difficulty to have a shot at making the Olympic team, her performance this weekend certainly keeps her in the conversation.
Utah
| Name | Freshman Season | VT | UB | BB | FX | AA |
| Kara Eaker | 2022 |
13.650 13.850 |
13.600 11.900 (11) |
13.750 14.900 (2) |
13.650 12.800 (10) |
54.650 53.450 (10) |
| Grace McCallum | 2022 |
14.700 14.550 |
13.500 13.950 (6) |
13.050 14.450 (8) |
13.650 14.000 (4) |
54.900 56.950 (3) |
| MyKayla Skinner | 2017 |
14.650 14.800 (3) |
13.000 13.350 (9) |
13.550 12.900 (14) |
13.700 13.850 (5) |
54.900 54.700 (8) |
| Ella Zirbes | 2024 |
13.700 13.700 (15) |
11.850 12.850 (19) |
11.900 11.050 (28) |
12.100 12.400 (27) |
49.550 50.000 (25) |
Junior Zirbes had a tough weekend overall, but finished the competition strong with an excellent Yurchenko one and a half.
McCallum had a disappointing night one, with falls on bars and beam and several low landings on floor leaving her ninth place overall. She rebounded on night two, improving her all around total by nearly two points to claim the bronze. McCallum’s future classmate Eaker, coming off the 2019 Pan American Games earlier this month, struggled on both nights but still managed to win second on beam even with a fall on night one.
Erstwhile, Red Rock Skinner impressed at her first elite championships since 2016 and only her second competition since resuming elite training this spring. She earned third place on vault, fifth on floor and eighth over all. Despite difficulties on bars and beam, Skinner showed high difficulty on those events (including a fantastic full pirouette into Fabrichnova dismount on bars).
Uncommitted
Leanne Wong, the only uncommitted gymnast in the senior group, continues to prove her mettle. She finished fifth all around at her first senior championships and snagged the bronze medal on beam. Her Yurchenko double full is one of the best in the field with room for a potential upgrade. Any college would be thrilled to add Wong to its roster; it will be interesting to see what she chooses to do in the future.
Full results are available here.
Article by Claire BIllman
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