Nastia Liukin Cup Series: Week 4

This year’s Nastia Liukin Cup Series will be comprised of 20 meets, each of which will qualify one senior gymnast (aged 16 or older) and one junior (15 or younger) to the 14th Nastia Liukin Cup in Louisville, Kentucky on Feb. 24.

This week’s meets included the River City Classic, the Biles International Invitational and the Denver Winterfest Classic.

River City Classic 

Winner (senior division): Presley Duke

Winner (junior division): Greta Krob

2022 NLC junior silver medalist Presley Duke qualified to her second consecutive Cup. Despite a mishap on her wolf turn on beam, Duke had a commanding performance all around. Her full-twisting Yurchenko was extremely light in the air and on landing; her bar routine seemed already ready for college, and her beam and floor sets presented a good combination of difficulty and execution. Although Duke will graduate from high school only in 2026, don’t count her out: last year she posted two all around scores over 39 points and she’s only getting started!

Greta Krob, who also competed in the junior division of the NLC last year, was the junior qualifier. In a rather weak field, Krob imposed herself despite a shaky performance on vault. Keep an eye on her, as she’s a surprising athlete. She began competing as a level 10 only in 2022 and that year she qualified to the NLC, won states and regionals, and qualified elite, winning the Hopes Classic and competing at the U.S. GK Classic.

Presley Duke

Scores: VT: 9.700 | UB: 9.650 | BB: 9.100 | FX: 9.650 | AA: 38.100

Videos

  • Club: Dynamo
  • High School Graduation Year: 2026
  • Notable Results: 2022 Oklahoma state and Region 3 all around champion
  • Previous NLC Appearances: 2022 (junior, second place)

Greta Krob

VT: 8.850 | UB: 9.250 | BB: 9.350 | FX: 9.425 | AA: 36.875

  • Club: IGN
  • High School Graduation Year: 2028
  • Notable Results: 2022 Iowa state all around champion; 2022 Hopes Classic champion
  • Previous NLC Appearances: 2022 (junior, 13th place)

Biles International Invitational 

Winner (senior division): Lily Bruce

Winner (junior division): Kennedy Emerling

Florida commit Lily Bruce will be back at the NLC for the first time after qualifying as a junior in 2019 and 2020. The five-star recruit had a solid day, scoring a 9.700 on vault for her sky-high Yurchenko full and showing off her double layout on floor. After struggling with consistency in the first two meets of the season, Bruce is finding her pace again. At her best, she can be a force to reckon with: she scored as high as 39.275 last year.

Kennedy Emerling notched the junior qualification in only the third level 10 meet of her career. It’s an exceptional achievement for a gymnast who won everything in level 9 last season, but is still finding her rhythm and skills at the higher level. She scored career highs on vault, floor and in the all around.

Lily Bruce

Scores: VT: 9.700 | UB: 9.550 | BB: 9.425 | FX: 9.550 | AA: 38.225

Videos

  • Club: World Champions Centre
  • College: Florida
  • High School Graduation Year: 2024
  • CGN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • Notable Results: 2022 Texas state all around champion; 2022 national bronze medalist in the all around
  • Previous NLC Appearances: 2019 (junior, 13th); 2020 (junior, 14th)

Kennedy Emerling

VT: 9.400 | UB: 8.850 | BB: 9.525 | FX: 9.275 | AA: 37.050

  • Club: Pearland Elite
  • High School Graduation Year: 2027
  • Notable Results: 2022 Arizona state, Region 1 and Western national all around champion
  • Previous NLC Appearances: N/A

Denver Winterfest Classic

Winner (senior division): Lily Smith

Winner (junior division): Addy Fulcher

Georgia signee Lily Smith qualified to her first ever NLC. She’s the second five-star recruit in the class of 2023 to qualify after Jamison Sears a few weeks ago. Despite having trouble on vault, her weakest event, Smith soared to victory thanks to a huge 9.900 on bars and a 9.800 on floor. The national champion is not new to these scores: she posted the second perfect 10.0 of her career on floor last week and also recorded a 10.0 on bars last season.

Junior elite Addy Fulcher scored a career high 38.350 to qualify to her first NLC in the junior division. She impressed on all events and especially on bars, where she posted a big 9.700. 

Lily Smith

Scores: VT: 9.300 | UB: 9.900 | BB: 9.600 | FX: 9.800 | AA: 38.600

  • Club: Sylvia’s
  • College: Georgia
  • High School Graduation Year: 2023
  • CGN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  • Notable Results: 2022 Pennsylvania state, Region 7 and national all around champion
  • Previous NLC Appearances: N/A

Addy Fulcher

VT: 9.575 | UB: 9.700 | BB: 9.500 | FX: 9.575 | AA: 38.350

  • Club: Bull City Gymnastics
  • High School Graduation Year: 2029
  • Notable Results: 2021 North Carolina state champion; 2022 Hopes Classic silver medalist
  • Previous NLC Appearances: N/A

READ THIS NEXT: Nastia Liukin Cup Series: Week 3


Article by Talitha Ilacqua

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

One comment

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.