Following last weekend’s four Nastia Liukin Cup qualifying meets, over half of the available competition spots have been claimed but there is another big weekend of competition ahead of us.
News
- Delilah Zepeda-Orth, previously in the class of 2027, has reclassified to 2026 and announced her commitment to Denver.
- Charlotte Booth (Auburn, ’26) is slated to compete on bars at the Cottbus World Cup in Germany, taking place from February 20-23
- Booth and Mali Morgan (Pitt ‘25) will form part of the British team for DTB Pokal in Stuttgart, Germany at the end of March.
- Morgan, along with current Utah freshman Poppy Stickler, have made the long list for the Welsh Commonwealth games team.
Meet Previews
It’s another busy week for Nastia Liukin Cup qualifying events with three meets taking place:
Biles International Invitational, Texas.
Over 50 gyms are listed to have gymnasts competing in the senior L10 Nastia Liukin qualifying sessions. Expect to see top level 10 talent from WOGA, Metroplex, and Legacy Elite, among others.
Buckeye Classic, Ohio.
There will be three sessions of level 10 competition at this annual event. Among the expected gyms sending gymnasts are Hills, Buckeye, Docksiders, and Cincinnati.
Circle of Stars, Indiana.
Thirty-one clubs are slated to have level 10 competitors at this meet, including Sylvia’s (Shyla Bhatia: Denver, ’25; three-star Isabella Beach ’26) as well as Capital City Flips, Five-star, and Gymfinity.
Meet Results
Houston National Invitational
Metroplex’s Jordyn Johnson (Michigan State, ’26) punched her ticket to her third Nastia Liukin Cup, improving her personal best on bars from two weeks ago to a 9.825. Autumn Reingold (Georgia, ’25) placed second with a 38.375 and Emerson Gaa (Denver ‘26) came in third with 38.025 and a podium topping 9.900 floor. Three-star Nesia Bat Yehudah (Boise State, ’26) took home the bars title with a career high 9.850. Riley Fain (Michigan State, ’26) topped the vault standings with a personal best 9.900.
Rally in the Valley
Avalon Campbell (Arkansas, ’25) earned the Nastia Liukin Cup spot with a personal best all-around of 39.150. Sophie Schriever (Iowa, ’25), who previously qualified, took the overall title and Oaklie Deputy (BYU, ’26) rounded off the top three with a 38.975, including a 9.900 on floor. Other notable scores from the meet include Daisy Bowles (Iowa, ’25) with a personal best 9.900 on bars and Schreiver’s 9.900 on vault. Audrey Snyder was awarded the joint second-highest beam score this season with a 9.925.
World Class Invitational
Ella Murphy (Oklahoma, ’25) took home the title and the Nastia Liukin Cup spot with a 39.000, Ella Fine (Auburn, ’26) came in second with personal bests on vault (9.875) and floor (9.900). Alexia Zakaryan, an uncommitted class of ’25 athlete, placed second on floor with a 9.875.
Sand Dollar Invitational
Kendall Morgan (four-star ’26) earned the Nastia Liukin Cup spot with a 38.300 and a personal best on floor of 9.750. Closely behind her was America Twisters teammate Jayla Booker (Rutgers, ’25) with a 38.250. Five-star Nina Ballou (LSU, ’25) scored a 37.625 and Raeya Linton (Stanford, ’26) took home the floor title with a 9.825.
Other notable results
- The Pikes Peak Cup had a stacked roster including four of the top 10 recruits in the class of 2025 (Jocelyn Sasson, Florida; Madelyn Dorbin, Florida; Mackenzie Estep, Oklahoma, and Jasmine Cawley, Alabama). With mistakes from some of the top contenders, Sofia Estrada (Oklahoma, ’26) and Madelyn Dorbin (Florida, ’25) emerged as the top all-around gymnasts in their respective divisions. Notable scores included Imani White’s (California, ’26) near-perfect 9.950 on vault.
- Laci Saltzman (Minnesota, ’26) set a personal best of 9.800 on bars at the Houston Invitational.
- Cameron Tassone (UCLA, ’26) set a number of personal bests at Rally in the Valley. 38.95 AA, 9.800 on vault and 9.850 on bars.
- Kee Ann Cura (San Jose, ’26) scored a 10.0 on bars in event finals at NextEra Seattle.
New Commitments
For a full list of recruits and where they are committed for each of the active classes, check out our complete database. To learn more about the gymnasts, click their name to visit their CGN profile where you’ll find high scores, links to their score page(s), their social media accounts, and more.
Class of 2025
- Makayla Townsend and three-star Cadence Gaumont have committed to Sacramento State on full rides.
- Liana Tine will join the team atWinona State.
- Canadian three-star Makenzie Grant has announced her intention to continue her academic and athletic career at Pitt. She will be joined by regional vault champion McKenzie Clark who also competes in high school track and field.
- Kinley Rose has committed to The University of Wisconsin Eau-Claire.
- Clara Gilles has committed to Hamline.
- Auden Pederson will become a mountaineer following her commitment to join West Virginia.
Class of 2026
- Delilah Zepeda-Orth has committed to Denver following a reclassification to this recruiting year. She has a top 100 score on beam this season (9.575).
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Article by Katie Couldrey
