Region 3 wins fifth-consecutive title at 2020 Elite Team Cup

LAS VEGAS, February 20, 2020 – Region 3 successfully defended its team title at the 2020 Elite Team Cup, which features the country’s top junior elite male gymnasts in a regional team competition, at the Westgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. The Elite Team Cup coincides with the 2020 Winter Cup Challenge, the men’s winter re-ranking event as well as the qualifier to the 2020 U.S. Championships. Region 3 earned a team total of 312.000, which included the top team scores for the pommel horse, still rings and parallel bars. Region 6 took second place at 305.750 and had the top team score for the floor exercise. Region 1 rounded out the top three at 301.100 and earned the top team scores for the vault and horizontal bar. Region 3 consists of team members: Fuzzy Benas of Richmond, Texas/EnRich Gymnastics; Dallas Hale of Frisco, Texas/WOGA; Asher Hong of Tomball, Texas/Cypress Academy; Zachary Nunez of Houston, Texas/Cypress Academy; Daniel Simmons of Cypress, Texas/Cypress Academy; Oliver Zavel of Lakeway, Texas/Crenshaw’s Athletic Club; Cameron Lee of Frisco, Texas/WOGA; and Caden Clinton of Cypress, Texas/Cypress Academy. Region 6 team members include: Matthew Cormier of Milton, Mass./Massachusetts Elite Gymnastics Academy; Luke Esparo of North Haven, Conn./New Era Gymnastics; Chris Hiser of Longmeadow, Mass./Daggett Gymnastics; Ian Lasic-Ellis of Dover, Mass./Massachusetts Elite Gymnastics Academy; Luke McFarland of East Hartland, Conn./Daggett Gymnastics; Frederick Richard of Stoughton, Mass./Massachusetts Elite Gymnastics Academy; Syam Buradagunta of Westborough, Mass./Massachusetts Elite Gymnastics Academy; Steven Manolakis of Hanover, Mass./Massachusetts Elite Gymnastics Academy; and Alex Vandendries of Chestnut Hill, Mass./New England Academy of Gymnastics. In third, the squad for Region 1 included: Jeremy Bischoff of Canyon Country, Calif./Wallers GymJam Academy; Jack Critz of Huntington Beach, Calif./SCATS; Joseph Pepe of Peoria, Ariz./North Valley Gymnastics; David Rauchwerger of San Francisco, Calif./Accel Gymnastics; and Tyler Shimizu of Newark, Calif./WCOGA. The team scores all nine regional teams are listed below.
  1. Region 3: total, 312.000; floor exercise, 52.400; pommel horse, 51.950; still rings, 51.900; vault, 55.100; parallel bars, 51.650; and horizontal bar, 49.000.
  2. Region 6: total, 305.750; floor exercise, 53.300; pommel horse, 48.200; still rings, 51.100; vault, 54.900; parallel bars, 49.700; and horizontal bar, 48.550.
  3. Region 1: total, 301.100; floor exercise, 49.800; pommel horse, 45.450; still rings, 50.950; vault, 55.300; parallel bars, 49.100; and horizontal bar, 50.500.
  4. Region 5: total, 299.650; floor exercise, 51.000; pommel horse, 44.800; still rings, 49.450; vault, 54.650; parallel bars, 50.750; and horizontal bar, 49.000.
  5. Region 9: total, 298.600; floor exercise, 49.400; pommel horse, 47.900; still rings, 49.700; vault, 53.900; parallel bars, 50.300; and horizontal bar, 47.400.
  6. Region 8: total, 298.200; floor exercise, 50.000; pommel horse, 49.600; still rings, 50.200; vault, 52.250; parallel bars, 48.400; and horizontal bar, 47.750.
  7. Region 2: total, 292.950; floor exercise, 49.950; pommel horse, 46.600; still rings, 47.250; vault, 53.000; parallel bars, 49.700; and horizontal bar, 46.450.
  8. Region 7: total, 288.800; floor exercise, 48.700; pommel horse, 46.300; still rings, 49.050; vault, 52.400; parallel bars, 46.600; and horizontal bar, 45.750.
  9. Region 4: total, 282.500; floor exercise, 48.350; pommel horse, 44.850; still rings, 45.250; vault, 51.600; parallel bars, 47.000; and horizontal bar, 45.450.
The Elite Team Cup features nine men’s Regional Teams, each consisting of six junior elite gymnasts. The states that comprise the nine regions are: Region 1 – Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada; Region 2 – Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, Washington; Region 3 – Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas; Region 4 – Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska; Region 5 – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan; Region 6 – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont; Region 7 – Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia; Region 8 – Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee; and Region 9 – Colorado, Utah, Wyoming.