There is nothing quite like the Nastia Liukin Cup. It’s heartwarming to watch the future of NCAA gymnastics get brighter and brighter. This year, both the senior and the junior competitions kept us glued to our seats until the very last routine. Congratulations to Avery Neff and Kailin Chio for tying for the senior title and to Addy Fulcher for winning the junior title.
As It Happened: The Senior Meet
The senior meet was a nail-biting competition from the beginning to the end. As predicted, Utah commit Avery Neff, LSU commit Kailin Chio and Denver signee Madison Ulrich proved to be the gymnasts to beat, with other athletes showing glimpses of greatness but failing to put together a complete meet.
The competition opened with a stunning floor routine by Georgia signee Lily Smith, who showed off her incredible technique for a near-perfect Titanic-inspired exercise that earned a 9.900. On vault, Chio stuck her Yurchenko one and a half for a 9.825, Ulrich hit her difficult front handspring front pike half for a 9.750, and Alabama signee Chloe LaCoursiere performed a clean Yurchenko full for a 9.700. Meanwhile on beam, favorite Neff had a slightly shaky routine for a 9.500. Although beam always scores lower than the other events, Neff left the door open and found herself in the bottom half of the leaderboard after scoring career highs in the 9.8s the two previous weeks.
In rotation two, LaCoursiere stunned the audience with yet another near-perfect bar routine for a 9.950. Chio had an elite-caliber exercise routine for a 9.825, and Ulrich showed off gorgeous handstands for a 9.875. On floor, Neff put her experience to good use for a flawless routine that scored a 9.875 and put her back in the mix. In the meantime, big numbers were being posted on vault, too. Oklahoma signee Hannah Scheible scored a 9.900 for a nearly stuck front handspring front pike half, the same vault that earned her a 10.0 last week. And last year’s NLC senior co-champion, Alabama signee Jamison Sears, after a rather bouncy floor routine in rotation one, showed off a beautiful Yurchenko one and a half for a 9.725. Unfortunately, vault continued to cause problems to Smith. After performing only a tucked Yurchenko on her first attempt, she managed to compete a Yurchenko full on her second try. Form and landing deductions, though, resulted in her receiving only a 9.425. Halfway through the meet, LaCoursiere found herself in the lead with Chio closely behind.
The third rotation proved to be the defining one. Neff decided to have fun on vault, performing a stuck Yurchenko one and a half on her first try for a 9.875 and debuting a Yurchenko double twist on her second attempt. It will be remembered as one of the highlights of the meet. Over on bars, Scheible took herself out of the race with an unfortunate fall on her straddled Jaeger. At the end of the routine, she told her coach that she couldn’t see the bar well. Sears, on her part, showed off another impressive bar routine for a 9.750 to keep her in the mix. And after a shaky vault, Smith also proved to be still in the game, showing off some beautiful lines on bars for a 9.850. A step on landing prevented her from challenging LaCoursiere’s 9.950. LaCoursiere herself, unfortunately, failed to retain the lead on beam, after nearly falling on her front aerial. She should be given credit, though, for the incredible save. Other top contenders survived the beam. Chio performed a polished set for a 9.500, and Ulrich did the same for a 9.550. At the end of the rotation, Neff was in the lead with a narrow margin. It was going to come down to the final rotation.
The final rotation was a showdown between Chio and Neff. Chio went first on floor and performed a stunning set for a 9.950, the highest score of the competition. Her elite experience really showed there. The big number put pressure on Neff, who needed a 9.825 on bars to tie Chio. The score was within her reach and she performed a solid routine, which included a full-twisting double layout dismount. It was not perfect, but it did the job. Neff scored precisely a 9.825 and tied Chio for gold. Behind the top two, Ulrich struggled slightly with landings on floor but held onto third place. Sears overrotated her double tuck dismount on beam, ending her podium dreams. Smith had a good beam routine, but it wasn’t enough to challenge the top three. Kentucky signee Denaynee Rodriguez put together a very polished performance on all events to claim the fourth spot.
With two 39.075s, Neff and Chio were crowned Nastia Liukin Cup champions. It seemed the right result after they proved to be the most prepared and complete gymnasts in the field. Their score was the second highest ever at the NLC. Only LSU star Haleigh Bryant scored higher—a 39.175 to win her second title in 2020. It was the third time that the senior title was shared. It happened also in 2014 between McKenna Kelley and Mackenzie Brannan, and last year between Sears and Nikki Smith.
This was the first victory for a Utah commit with Neff. Chio, instead, continued a long legacy of LSU commits winning the cup, with previous Tiger winners including Lexi Priessman in 2010, Kelley in 2014, Kiya Johnson as a junior in 2015, Kai Rivers in 2017, and Haleigh Bryant in 2018 and 2020.
As It Happened: The Junior Meet
As expected, the junior meet was very open and came down to those athletes with career highs of 38-plus points: Addy Fulcher (c/o 2029), Amani White (c/o 2026), Jordyn Johnson (c/o 2026) and Olivia Vandevander (c/o 2027), the highest qualifier.
Fulcher started off the meet on beam and impressed with difficult skills, including a triple wolf turn and an Onodi, and a gorgeous presentation. Johnson began on floor, where she showed off a huge double layout for a 9.600, and Vandevander hit her bar routine for the same score.
In rotation two, Vandevander and White hit beam with two scores in the 9.300s that didn’t reflect the level of difficulty and great poise of the two gymnasts. They are both capable of cleaner routines, but these were good efforts under pressure. Fulcher had a bit too much juice on her double tuck mount on floor but then settled into her routine for a solid 9.475. Johnson, in the meantime, flared her Yurchenko full for a 9.550. The talk of rotation two, though, was Adelle Speck, in the class of 2025, who impressed on floor with great tumbling and outstanding choreography. She was rewarded with a 9.650.
Maddie Stewart, in the class of 2026, took the third rotation by storm, taking the lead with a huge Yurchenko one and a half for a 9.800. This vault has the potential to become one of the best in the country with some extra work on form and landing. The rest of the field, meanwhile, continued strong. Vandevander and White had two good floor routines for two 9.550s and Johnson put together a solid beam set for a 9.350. Rotation three also saw two stunning routines on beam and floor. On beam, Kennedy Emerling, in the class of 2027, posted a career high 9.700; on floor, Camryn Shepard, who’s the sister of N.C. State gymnast Emily Shepard, posted a 9.700 of her own for a solid routine with great landings. With Stewart leading after rotation three, the pressure was high going into the final rotation.
In rotation four, bars proved to be the make-or-break event. Stewart succumbed to pressure, rushing her bail to handstand and sitting down her double layout dismount. Fulcher, on the contrary, rose to the occasion, posting a big 9.700 to secure victory. Behind her, White and Vandevander hit two pretty good Yurchenko fulls to tie for second. Johnson gave everything she had on beam but a few balance checks left her out of the podium by less than a tenth.
Overall, the junior meet ended up being a very close competition, with the top eight gymnasts separated by only half a point. While everyone showed plenty of potential and glimpses of greatness, the two youngest athletes, in the class of 2029, were especially impressive—Fulcher, who won the meet, and Lavi Crain, who finished seventh despite a fall on beam. Crain, who trains at GAGE and looks like a miniature version of Leanne Wong and Kara Eaker combined, showed off great difficulty and form. You’ll hear her name again.
NCAA Thoughts
In the two senior champions, Utah and LSU have found two NCAA stars in the making. They will have to wait until 2024 to welcome them to campus, but Neff and Chio are so ready that they could have made both teams’ lineups this weekend. Also in the class of 2024, Jahzara Swaby-Ranger will continue the legacy of big skills on vault and floor for Michigan, and Ady Wahl will bring a much needed Yurchenko one and a half to Georgia.
In the class of 2023, we can’t wait to see Smith and LaCoursiere at Georgia and Alabama, respectively. Smith has one of the best techniques ever witnessed in gymnastics and will be extraordinary on bars and floor for the Gymdogs. Her contribution on bars will be especially welcome. LaCoursiere’s bars are out of this world, and we expect her to anchor the Crimson Tide’s lineup as a freshman. Sears will also join Alabama this fall. She didn’t have the best meet this weekend, but she has the potential to become an all-around star in college. Kentucky signee Delaynee Rodriguez proved to be super polished and poised, which are two qualities the Wildcats will love in their lineups next year.
It was also exciting to watch the gymnasts in the class of 2025, who will start their recruiting journey in June. Kamila Pawlak, last year’s junior champion, had plenty of poise and big skills. Elyse Wenner showed off stunning lines, and so did Haley Mustari, who already boasts perfect 10.0s on bars and beam. Finally, Adelle Speck has plenty of enthusiasm and charisma on floor and will easily transform any NCAA arena into a floor party.
Highlights on Vault
1. Avery Neff stunned fans by debuting a beautiful Yurchenko double twist. She performed it on her second attempt, after casually sticking a Yurchenko one and a half as her first vault. Queen.
2. Hannah Scheible nearly stuck her difficult front handspring front half pike, which prompted the commentators to compare her vault to LSU’s Haleigh Bryant’s.
3. Maddie Stewart, in the class of 2026, threw a huge Yurchenko one and a half. She has incredible height, distance and flare for such a young gymnast.
Highlights on Bars
1. Chloe LaCoursiere showed the world why she boasts four perfect 10.0s on bars. Impeccable form, technique, and amplitude. Just wow.
2. Madison Ulrich impressed with great amplitude and stunning handstands.
3. Haley Mustari boasts three career high perfect 10.0s on bars because she can fly.
Highlights on Beam
1. Delaynee Rodriguez showed off incredible lines, flexibility, and poise.
2. Kennedy Emerling may only be in the class of 2027, but she’s already a beam queen in the making. This was the highest score of the competition on beam among both seniors and juniors.
3. Addy Fulcher didn’t simply do beam, she danced on it.
Highlights on Floor
1. Lily Smith showed off her beautiful lines and twisting form in this Titanic-inspired routine.
2. Adelle Speck showed off how you’re supposed to dance to the music on floor. She’s only 15, but she already choreographs her own routine—an artist in the making.
3. Kailin Chio posted the highest score of the competition with a stunning routine, the right combination of good choreography, difficult tumbling passes, and great landings. Plus, how about that full-out mount?!
Fun Fact
Esphyr Koren, in the class of 2027, trains at Perfection Gymnastics School with former LSU standout Lexi Priessman, who won the inaugural Nastia Liukin Cup in 2010, as her coach.
The Best Celebration
Kamila Pawlak performed a celebratory backflip after nailing her bar routine.
Save of the Meet
Chloe LaCoursiere fought hard to stay on the beam after struggling with her front aerial.
Trend Setters
Utah signee Camie Winger may have set a new trend with a series of elaborated space buns. Lavi Crain, meanwhile, showed off a crown-like scrunchie, which included one of Leanne Wong’s bows.
READ THIS NEXT: 2023 Nastia Liukin Cup Qualifiers Behind the Numbers
Article by Talitha Ilacqua
Like what you see? Consider donating to support our efforts throughout the year!
