This year’s Nastia Liukin Cup Series will comprise 22 meets, each of which will qualify one senior gymnast (aged 17 and older) and one junior (16 and younger) to the 16th Nastia Liukin Cup in Louisville, Kentucky, on February 25.
This week saw eight qualifiers across four meets: the Classic Rock Invitational, the Classic Spectacular, the Greensboro Gymnastics Invitational and the Pikes Peak Cup.
Classic Rock Invitational
Winner (senior division): Kelsey Slade
Winner (junior division): Morgan Reihl
Oklahoma signee and five-star recruit Kelsey Slade notched her first-ever NLC qualification after finishing second at the Classic Rock Invitational. She was edged by fellow Sooner-to-be Kamila Pawlak, who posted a 39.000 but was already qualified to the Cup. Slade’s best score came on vault, where she posted a 9.875. She added two 9.700s on bars and floor to fend off Arkansas commit Avery King, who finished third with a 38.525 and was also already qualified to the Cup. 2026 recruit Shea Orlando posted the highest score on vault, a 9.900, for her front handspring front pike.
2026 recruit Morgan Reihl edged Cameron Tassone, another 2026 recruit, by 0.025 to notch the junior qualification. Reihl, who’s a NorCal state champion on beam, posted a career high 9.800 on her pet event—a score that elevated her above the rest of the field. Her routine included a switch leap to switch leap half and an unusual side aerial to two feet. Madison Snyder, also in the class of 2026, won vault with a career high 9.800.
Kelsey Slade
Scores: VT: 9.875 | UB: 9.700 | BB: 9.425 | FX: 9.700 | AA: 38.700
- Club: Arizona Dynamics
- College: Oklahoma
- High School Graduation Year: 2024
- CGN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Notable Results: 2022 Region 1 all around champion and national vault champion; two-time perfect 10.0 scorer on vault
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Morgan Reihl
Scores: VT: 9.400 | UB: 9.350 | BB: 9.800 | FX: 9.500 | AA: 38.050
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX
- Club: CA-Royal
- High School Graduation Year: 2026
- Notable Results: 2023 NorCal state beam champion, 2023 Region 1 silver medalist on beam and floor, and 4th-place finisher in the all around
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Classic Spectacular
Winner (senior division): Elle Mueller
Winner (junior division): Ariana Frechette
Oklahoma signee Elle Mueller dominated the senior competition, edging Nebraska signee Molly Peterson by more than a point to qualify to her first NLC. Despite struggling on beam, Mueller bounced back and posted career highs on both floor and vault. On vault, in particular, she stuck her Yurchenko one and a half for a near-perfect 9.900.
Mueller’s clubmate Ariana Frechette, in the class of 2026, qualified to her second consecutive NLC, beating fellow 2026 recruit Grace Weisser by over a point, too. She had a solid competition, capped off by a 9.700 on floor, where she opened with a full-in. Frechette is the third Twin City Twisters gymnast to have qualified to the Cup thus far this year, alongside Mueller and Arkansas commit Allison Cucci.
Elle Mueller
Scores: VT: 9.900 | UB: 9.750 | BB: 9.175 | FX: 9.800 | AA: 38.625
Videos: VT | UB | BB | FX
- Club: Twin City Twisters
- College: Oklahoma
- High School Graduation Year: 2024
- CGN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Notable Results: 2019 L10 national all around champion; senior elite
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Ariana Frechette
Scores: VT: 9.500 | UB: 9.450 | BB: 9.375 | FX: 9.700 | AA: 38.025
- Club: Twin City Twisters
- High School Graduation Year: 2026
- Notable Results: 2023 Region 4 all-around champion, 2023 L10 national champion on floor and 4th-place finisher in the all around
- Previous NLC Appearances: 2023 (junior, 20th)
Greensboro Gymnastics Invitational
Winner (senior division): Elizabeth Leary
Winner (junior division): Sutton Strasser
Penn State signee Elizabeth Leary qualified to her first NLC with a solid competition, a week after posting a career 39.075 at the Atlanta Centennial Classic. She scored a 9.700 or better on three events, including a career-high 9.725 on beam. Her routine included a triple series and an unusual beat jump to sheep jump dance series. Another Penn State commit, Ava Cash, finished second with a 38.425, while Nikki Rengifo, an uncommitted recruit in the class of 2024, was third. Ohio State signee Rylee Guevara posted career highs of 9.800 on beam and of 9.950 on floor, but took herself out of contention after butchering her bar routine.
Sutton Strasser, in the class of 2026, won a high-caliber junior competition to stamp her first NLC ticket. She nearly matched her career high in the all around, and posted career highs on both bars and beam. On beam, she really impressed by competing a back handspring to layout step-out to layout step-out series, and a side aerial to split jump to beat jump. Behind her, Ella Fine, also a 2026 recruit, finished second with career highs of 38.350 in the all around and of 9.800 on floor, where she opened with a full-twisting double pike. Fine is already qualified to the NLC.
Elizabeth Leary
Scores: VT: 9.725 | UB: 9.550 | BB: 9.725 | FX: 9.700 | AA: 38.700
- Club: Sonshine Gymnastics
- College: Penn State
- High School Graduation Year: 2024
- CGN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Notable Results: 2023 L10 national silver medalist on floor and bronze medalist on beam and in the all around; 2023 Region 8 all around silver medalist
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Sutton Strasser
Scores: VT: 9.575 | UB: 9.600 | BB: 9.675 | FX: 9.575 | AA: 38.425
- Club: Infiniti
- High School Graduation Year: 2026
- Notable Results: 2023 New York state all around silver medalist, 2023 Region 6 all around champion
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Pikes Peak Cup
Winner (senior division): Ella Murphy
Winner (junior division): Emerson Gaa
Oklahoma commit and former senior elite Ella Murphy, in only her second level 10 competition since 2021, posted career highs on all events and in the all around. She especially impressed on bars, where she scored a 9.850 and showed off her gorgeous lines and handstands. She competed a difficult routine, which included a rare Komova II to Pak salto, and a Van Leuween. Olivia Kelly, a Missouri signee and Barbados national team member, was second with a 38.575. Cal signee CJ Keuneke was third with a 38.250.
Emerson Gaa, a 2026 recruit who began competing as a level 10 only last year, notched the junior qualification. She had a solid competition overall, but most notably on floor, her standout event, where she posted a 9.775. Her routine features beautiful twisting passes and impressively fast and expressive choreography. Last week, she scored her first perfect 10.0 at the Empire Invitational.
Ella Murphy
Scores: VT: 9.525 | UB: 9.850 | BB: 9.650 | FX: 9.700 | AA: 38.725
- Club: WOGA
- College: Oklahoma
- High School Graduation Year: 2025
- CGN Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Notable Results: junior elite, 2021 and 2022 U.S. championship qualifier
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
Emerson Gaa
Scores: VT: 9.300 | UB: 9.325 | BB: 9.575 | FX: 9.775 | AA: 37.975
- Club: Empire
- High School Graduation Year: 2026
- Notable Results: 2023 Texas state and Region 3 all around bronze medalist; 2023 L10 national silver medalist on floor
- Previous NLC Appearances: N/A
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Article by Talitha Ilacqua
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