This year’s Nastia Liukin Cup Series will comprise 22 meets, each of which will qualify one senior gymnast (aged 17 or older) and one junior (16 or younger) to the 14th Nastia Liukin Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, on February 25.
This week saw 12 qualifiers across six meets: Metroplex Challenge, Fiesta Bowl, Jaycie Phelps Midwest Showdown, Magical Classic, Elevate the Stage and Excalibur Cup.
Metroplex Challenge
Winner (senior division): Autumn Reingold
Winner (junior division): Camila Betancourt
Georgia commit Autumn Reingold notched her first NLC qualification with a career-high performance, which included a 38.675 in the all around, a 9.900 on bars, a 9.700 on floor and a 9.650 on vault. Reingold, who’s been thriving since moving to the World Champions Centre late last year, was especially impressive on bars, where she showed off gorgeous lines and an exceptional Pak salto. Reingold finished second to Oklahoma commit Kamila Pawlak, who scored a big 39.225 but was already qualified to the Cup.
2027 recruit Camila Betancourt also came up with a career-high performance to stamp her first NLC ticket. She posted a career high 38.050 in the all around, as well as career highs of 9.600 on beam and 9.575 on floor. Betancourt, who’s still very young, didn’t present big levels of difficulty, but showed off her maturity with poised and polished routines. The junior competition was won by Keria Cameron, in the class of 2029, who had already qualified to the Cup. She posted a huge career high of 38.825, which included a 9.900 on vault.
Autumn Reingold
Scores: VT: 9.650 | UB: 9.900 | BB: 9.425 | FX: 9.700 | AA: 38.675
- Club: World Champions Centre
- College: Georgia
- High School Graduation Year: 2025
- CGN Rating: NR
- Notable Results: 2023 Texas state bars champion; former US junior elite
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Camila Betancourt
Scores: VT: 9.450 | UB: 9.425 | BB: 9.600 | FX: 9.575 | AA: 38.050
- Club: Metroplex
- High School Graduation Year: 2027
- Notable Results: 2022 L9 Texas state all around champion
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Fiesta Bowl
Winner (senior division): Lundyn Vandertoolen
Winner (junior division): Madison Snyder
Utah State signee Lundyn Vandertoolen posted a career high 38.650 to qualify to her first NLC. She had a solid competition, which included a 9.750 on vault and a 9.700 on beam. She finished third behind Utah signee Avery Neff (39.100) and Oklahoma signee Kelsey Slade (39.000), who were both already qualified to the Cup.
2026 recruit Madison Snyder qualified to her first NLC in her first year as a level 10. She posted a career high of 9.675 on beam and matched her career high 9.800 on vault. On the latter event, she performed a rare tucked Tsukahara one and a half.
Lundyn Vandertoolen
Scores: VT: 9.625 | UB: 9.750 | BB: 9.700 | FX: 9.575 | AA: 38.650
- Club: Olympus
- College: Utah State
- High School Graduation Year: 2024
- CGN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Notable Results: 2023 Utah state bronze medalist on vault and all around; 2023 Region 1 bronze medalist on vault; former US junior elite
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Madison Snyder
Scores: VT: 9.800 | UB: 8.650 | BB: 9.675 | FX: 9.250 | AA: 37.375
- Club: Flip For Me
- High School Graduation Year: 2026
- Notable Results: 2021 L8 Nevada state all around champion; 2023 L9 Nevada state bars bronze medalist
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Jaycie Phelps Midwest Showdown
Winner (senior division): Lisa Szeibert
Winner (junior division): Kylie Smith
Missouri signee Lisa Szeibert qualified to her first NLC with a career high 38.275. The three-star recruit had a solid competition, posting three scores in the 9.6s, including a 9.675 on bars. There, she boasts a career high of 9.800.
Junior Kylie Smith, a 2029 recruit who competed elite last season, posted the highest score of the competition—a 38.525. She stamped her first NLC ticket while scoring career highs on all events and in the all around.
Lisa Szeibert
Scores: VT: 9.600 | UB: 9.675 | BB: 9.375 | FX: 9.625 | AA: 38.275
- Club: JPAC
- College: Missouri
- High School Graduation Year: 2024
- CGN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Notable Results: 2023 Indiana state all around silver medalist; 2023 Region 5 bars bronze medalist
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Kylie Smith
Scores: VT: 9.700 | UB: 9.525 | BB: 9.675 | FX: 9.625 | AA: 38.525
- Club: Cincinnati Gymnastics
- High School Graduation Year: 2029
- Notable Results: US junior elite; 2023 HOPES championships 11-12 all around bronze medalist
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Magical Classic
Winner (senior division): Zoe Johnson
Winner (junior division): Imani White
Utah signee Zoe Johnson qualified to her first senior NLC four years after finishing fourth in the junior Cup in 2020. She scored a career-high 38.800 and her best score came on vault, where she posted a 9.875. She’s capable of a perfect 10.0 on this event, which she scored in the first meet of the 2024 season.
2026 recruit Imani White stamped her third consecutive ticket to the NLC after tying for second place last year. A gymnast capable of scoring in the 9.9s on three events, she had a solid competition on all four apparatuses for an-all around score of 38.325.
Zoe Johnson
Scores: VT: 9.875 | UB: 9.700 | BB: 9.600 | FX: 9.625 | AA: 38.800
- Club: Sonshine
- College: Utah
- High School Graduation Year: 2024
- CGN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Notable Results: 2023 North Carolina state vault champion; 2023 Region 8 gold medalist on vault, silver medalist on bars and bronze medalist in the all around
- Previous NLC Appearances: 2020 (junior, 4th)
Imani White
Scores: VT: 9.475 | UB: 9.725 | BB: 9.600 | FX: 9.525 | AA: 38.325
- Club: Brandy Johnson’s
- High School Graduation Year: 2026
- Notable Results: 2023 Region 8 champion in the all around and all events; 2023 L10 national bars co-champion
- Previous NLC Appearances: 2022 (junior, 19th), 2023 (junior, T-2nd)
Elevate the Stage
Winner (senior division): Addie Sarisky
Winner (junior division): Maxine Cometa
Addie Sarisky, a 2026 recruit, topped a high-caliber senior competition to qualify to her first NLC. She did it in style, posting a career high 39.050 in the all around, with career highs of 9.800 on vault and 9.700 on floor. Her highest score—a 9.875—came on bars, where she boasts a perfect 10.0.
Maxine Cometa, a 2028 recruit who jumped from level 8 to level 10 this year, qualified to her first NLC as a junior. She topped a rather weak junior field with a career high 36.775.
Addie Sarisky
Scores: VT: 9.800 | UB: 9.875 | BB: 9.675 | FX: 9.700 | AA: 39.050
- Club: Olympic Dreams Gymnastics
- College: N/A
- High School Graduation Year: 2026
- CGN Rating: N/A
- Notable Results: 2023 Ohio state and Region 5 all around champion
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Maxine Cometa
Scores: VT: 9.325 | UB: 9.275 | BB: 9.100 | FX: 9.075 | AA: 36.775
- Club: US Gymnastics Develop Center II
- High School Graduation Year: 2028
- Notable Results: 2023 L8 New Jersey state all around champion
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Excalibur Cup
Winner (senior division): Rylee Guevara
Winner (junior division): Raeya Linton
Ohio State signee Rylee Guevara finally notched her first NLC qualification after weeks of failing to qualify by a narrow margin. She posted career highs in the all around (39.000) and on vault (9.850), which was enough to stamp her ticket despite a recurrent struggle on bars. Oklahoma signee Elle Mueller, who was already qualified to the Cup, won the competition with a 39.200. Third was LSU commit Elyse Wenner, who missed out on qualifying to her third consecutive NLC by half a tenth.
Raeyna Linton, in the class of 2026, won the junior competition. A super powerful athlete, she showed off a big Yurchenko one and a half on vault—she boasts three perfect 10.0s there—three double salto passes on floor, including a full-in, and both a front pike and a front tuck somersault on beam. Bars is not her forte but she pushed through her routine to stamp her first NLC ticket.
Rylee Guevara
Scores: VT: 9.850 | UB: 9.500 | BB: 9.825 | FX: 9.825 | AA: 39.000
- Club: World Class
- College: 2024
- High School Graduation Year: Ohio State
- CGN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Notable Results: 2023 Virginia state champion in the all around and all events, Region 7 floor champion and L10 national floor silver medalist; 2022 L10 national floor champion
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Raeya Linton
Scores: VT: 9.850 | UB: 9.025 | BB: 9.750 | FX: 9.750 | AA: 38.375
- Club: United Gymnastix
- High School Graduation Year: 2026
- Notable Results: 2023 Maryland state all around champion and Region 7 vault champion; 2023 L10 national vault bronze medalist
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Kentucky Winter Classic
Winner (senior division): JJ Coleman
Winner (junior division): Gabbie Mitchell
Ohio State signee JJ Coleman stamped the very last ticket to the NLC with a career-high performance of 38.825. She outscored her previous scores from this season by more than one point to deliver four exceptional routines, including a career high 9.800 on bars. She edged LSU commit Elyse Wenner by one tenth. It was a tough moment for Wenner, who got very close to qualifying to her third NLC two weeks in a row.
Gabbie Mitchell, in the class of 2027, dominated the junior competition to qualify to her first NLC. The game changer was a hit routine on beam, an event where she struggles to score in the 9.0s. With a good beam score under her belt, she became unstoppable, delivering secure performances on the other three events.
JJ Coleman
Scores: VT: 9.800 | UB: 9.800 | BB: 9.500 | FX: 9.725 | AA: 38.825
- Club: G-Force
- College: Ohio State
- High School Graduation Year: 2024
- CGN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Notable Results: 2023 New Mexico state all around champion; 2023 Region 3 and L10 national silver medalist in the all around
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Gabbie Mitchell
Scores: VT: 9.775 | UB: 9.750 | BB: 9.250 | FX: 9.850 | AA: 38.625
- Club: Georgia Elite
- High School Graduation Year: 2027
- Notable Results: 2023 Georgia state and Region 8 all around silver medalist; 2023 HOPES champion on vault (13-14)
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
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Article by Talitha Ilacqua
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