Last weekend, the nation’s top level 10 athletes competed in the Nastia Liukin Cup, featuring top gymnasts in the class of 2026 and beyond. To get an idea of how they might fare on some of the nation’s top teams once they enter college, I re-evaluated each class of 2026 recruit on one event, applying deductions as NCAA judges typically do.
For each athlete, I outlined how their routine could best transition from excelling in level 10 to succeeding in NCAA and rescored it using NCAA start values, bonus, and deductions. For the most part, vault and bars compositions remained similar. Beam and floor, however, often require increased difficulty in the NCAA due to differences in composition and bonus structure.
It’s also important to note that many of these routines begin from a 10.1 start value in level 10, creating a built-in tenth of inflation for difficulty. For a true comparison between the Nastia Cup score and my evaluation, subtract one-tenth from any routine that started from a 10.1.
Vault
Avery Schlichting (Alabama)
Start Value: 10.1 level 10, 10.0 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: None
Execution Deductions:
- Leg form, bent and crossed (0.100)
- Balance error/lean on landing (0.050)
Nastia Cup Score: 9.925
My Score: 9.850
Cameron Tassone (UCLA)
Start Value: 10.1 level 10, 10.0 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: None
Execution Deductions:
- Leg form (0.050)
- Arm circle on landing (0.050)
- Shoulder angle (0.050)
Nastia Cup Score: 9.900
My Score: 9.850
Ella Fine (Auburn)
Start Value: 10.1 level 10, 10.0 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: None
Execution Deductions:
- Shoulder angle (0.050)
- Large step forward (0.200)
Nastia Cup Score: 9.825
My Score: 9.750
Paige Alexander (Ohio State)
Start Value: 10.0 level 10, 9.95 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: It’s a nice Yurchenko full, but a one and a half would be even better.
Execution Deductions:
- Leg form (0.050)
- Hop back on landing (0.100)
- Pike down (0.050)
Nastia Cup Score: 9.700
My Score: 9.750
Bars
Imani White (Missouri)
Start Value: 10.1 level 10, 10.0 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: None; this is a very efficient routine
Execution Deductions:
- Leg, foot form on Pak salto (0.100)
- Knee bend on toe on toe circle to HS and Van Leeuwen (0.100)
- Lack of extension on first kip (0.050)
- Step back on dismount (0.100)
Nastia Cup Score: 9.725
My Score: 9.650
Jordan Johnson (Michigan State)
Start Value: 10.1 level 10, 10.0 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: In college, she can remove the toe circle on the low bar, but she will also likely need to change or improve her Higgins (half turn) into her dismount.
Execution Deductions:
- Leg bend, cast HS (0.050)
- Handstand precision, shoot over (0.050)
- Late half turn, Higgins (0.200)
- Leg/foot form, dismount (0.100)
- Step back on dismount (0.100)
Nastia Cup Score: 9.575
My Score: 9.500
Ariana Frechette (Kentucky)
Start Value: 10.1 level 10, 10.0 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: Connecting the shootover directly from the Jaeger will streamline her routine and minimize deductions on the shootover.
Execution Deductions:
- Arch, first cast HS (0.050)
- Bent knees, Jaeger (0.050)
- Arch and handstand precision, shoot over (0.100)
- Step back on dismount (0.100)
Nastia Cup Score: 9.700
My Score: 9.700
Raegan McCarty (Missouri)
Start Value: 10.0
Suggested Composition Changes: None; this is a very efficient NCAA routine. I think with some small form corrections and better endurance, it could score well.
Execution Deductions:
- Bent arms, first clear hip (0.050)
- Leg separation, Gienger (0.050)
- Body position and bent arms, shoot over (0.100)
- Arch, cast HS (0.050)
- Bent arms, short HS second clear hip (0.100)
- Knee bend, toe on (0.050)
- Low chest (0.100), steps (0.150) on dismount landing
Nastia Cup Score: 9.375
My Score: 9.350
Beam
Jada Kim (Georgia)
Start Value: 10.1 level 10, 9.8 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: She’ll need to upgrade her dismount for college to a C-level skill. If she did a side aerial to one and a half, she could cut the Barani and start from a 10.0.
Execution Deductions:
- Balance error on layout step out (0.100), Barani (0.100), full turn (0.050)
- Low chest on landing, switch side (0.050)
- Step on dismount (0.100)
Nastia Cup Score: 9.675
My Score: 9.400
Shea Orlando (Michigan)
Start Value: 10.1 level 10, 10.0 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: She can cut her Barani and still start from a 10.0
Execution Deductions:
- Balance error on wolf double turn (0.050), layout stepout (0.050), Barani (0.050)
- Knee bend, wolf turn (0.050)
- Low chest/amplitude Barani (0.050)
- Step on landing, dismount (0.100)
Nastia Cup Score: 9.700
My Score: 9.650
Sabrina Visconti (Arkansas)
Start Value: 10.1 level 10, 10.0 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: Take out both split half jumps and just do a split jump after the switch leap. Take out the side aerial.
Execution Deductions:
- Underrotation, both split half (0.100)
- Bent knee, acro series (0.050)
- Balance error, front tuck (0.050) and full turn (0.100)
- Leg form (0.050) and hop (0.100) on dismount
Nastia Cup Score: 9.625
My Score: 9.550
Floor
Raeya Linton (Stanford)
Start Value: 10.1 level 10, 10.0 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: Remove the double turn and the second dance pass. She could also do a two-pass routine and remove the double pike at the end.
Execution Deductions:
- Step and shuffle on landing, first pass (0.150)
- Hop back, front full (0.050)
- Low back leg, switch leap (0.050)
Nastia Cup Score: 9.700
My Score: 9.750
Oaklie Deputy (Ohio State)
Start Value: 10.1 level 10, 10.0 NCAA
Suggested Composition Changes: She could do a two-pass routine in college and drop the double turn and Rudi. She would just need to add in two A-level skills.
Execution Deductions:
- Precision in jumps (0.050)
- Underrotation of twist (0.050), knees (0.050), uncontrolled step (0.100), double front
Nastia Cup Score: 9.525
My Score: 9.750
Leigh Anne Elliott (Alabama)
Start Value: 10.0
Suggested Composition Changes: She can switch to a two-pass routine and remove the double back.
Execution Deductions:
- Foot slide, layout step out (0.050)
- Leg/foot form (0.050) and shuffle on landing (0.050), double back
- Leg form x2 (0.100), landing (0.050), one and a half, front layout
Nastia Cup Score: 9.550
My Score: 9.700
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Article by Rhiannon Franck
Rhiannon Franck is a former national-rated NAWGJ women’s gymnastics judge with over 15 years of USAG judging experience and nine seasons judging NCAA gymnastics. Outside of gymnastics, Franck works at a university as a nursing professor and loves to travel.
