Fields set for Friday’s Nastia Liukin Cup and Saturday’s Elite Team Cup Presented by TURN


FRISCO, Texas, February 24, 2022 – The fields are set for the 2022 Elite Team Cup Presented by TURN and 13th-annual Nastia Liukin Cup, which are being held this weekend at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, in conjunction with the 2022 Winter Cup Presented by OZONE and TURN. Tickets for these events, which feature some of the top up-and-coming gymnasts in the country, are on sale now.

Nastia Liukin Cup
The Nastia Liukin Cup is slated to lead off a full weekend of top-tier national competition Friday at 2:30 p.m. ET. The event will air live on Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA and will feature 20 junior and 20 senior USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program athletes who qualified to compete through their performances at a series of invitationals held across the U.S. over the last eight weeks.

More than a third of the qualifiers have competed in previous iterations of the Nastia Liukin Cup, including juniors Lillian Jennejohn (Provo, Utah/Bold Gymnastics, 2021), Kamila Pawlak (Melissa, Texas/Metroplex Gymnastics, 2021) and Bailey Stroud (New Palestine, Ind./Jaycie Phelps Athletic Center, 2021), and seniors Nina Ballou (Boca Raton, Fla./American Twisters, 2021), Mackenzie Estep (Auburn, Wash./Ascend Gymnastics, 2019, 2021), Gwen Fink (Fort Mill, S.C./Southeastern, 2020), Selena Harris (Henderson, Nev./Gymcats Gymnastics, 2020), CJ Keuneke (Denver, Colo./Active Athletics, 2019, 2021), Avery Neff (South Jordan, Utah/Olympus, 2021), Morgan Price (Coppell, Texas/Texas Dreams, 2021), Jamison Sears (Yorktown, Va./World Class Gymnastics, 2019), Nikki Smith (West Bloomfield, Mich./EuroStars, 2020, 2021), Faith Torrez (Bristol, Wis./Legacy Elite, 2018, 2019) and Bryce Wilson (Pearland, Texas/Pearland Elite, 2021).

The event was founded in 2010 by 2008 Olympic all-around champion and 14-time Olympic and World medalist Nastia Liukin, and participating gymnasts have the opportunity to connect with Liukin during the pre-event festivities. Numerous current and former U.S. Senior National Team members competed in the Nastia Liukin Cup as Level 10 gymnasts, including Olympic medalists Gabby Douglas (2010) and MyKayla Skinner (2010, 2011) and 2017 World all-around champion Morgan Hurd (2014).

Elite Team Cup
The annual Elite Team Cup Presented by TURN – a team competition that pits regional teams of six men’s Junior Elite gymnasts against one another on the national stage – will kick off Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Reigning champions Region 3 will look to continue a dominant streak that has seen them take top honors in each of the last six years, while Region 1, which has secured the runner up position in three of the last four competitions, will try to play the role of spoiler. After finishing second in 2020 and missing the competition in 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic, gymnasts from Region 6 hope to re-establish themselves as title contenders, and perennial powerhouse, Region 8, will look to improve on third-place finishes in 2019 and 2021.

The Winter Cup junior all-around champion will be determined by individual scores Saturday. Meanwhile, top performers on each apparatus will earn the opportunity to compete for junior event titles Sunday alongside their Winter Cup senior division counterparts.

The Elite Team Cup will stream live on FlipNow Powered by USA Gymnastics Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET. Sunday’s Winter Cup Men’s Day 2 competition will also air on FlipNow beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Fifteen Elite Team Cup veterans are listed among the provisional competitors submitted for each region, including 2021 Junior Pan American Games all-around champion Vahe Petrosyan (Van Nuys, Calif./Gymnastics Olympica USA, Region 1, 2021), 2021 Elite Team Cup all-around runner up Kai Uemura (Chicago, Ill./Lakeshore Academy, Region 5, 2020, 2021), and two-time ETC champion Caden Clinton (Cypress, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics, Region 3, 2020, 2021). The Region 8 squad is banking on experience, returning six team members: Maxim Bereznev (Woodstock, Ga./Roswell Gymnastics, 2021), Jaden Blank (Lakewood Ranch, Fla./EVO Gymnastics, 2021), Alexandru Nitache (Knoxville, Tenn./GymTek Academy, 2021), Garrett Schooley (Sarasota, Fla./EVO Gymnastics, 2021), Nicholas Tarca (Knoxville, Tenn./GymTek Academy, 2020) and Danilo Viciana (Danilo Viciana, Marietta, Ga./Cartersville Twisters, 2021). Other returning gymnasts include Sebastian Kane (Mercer Island, Wash./Metropolitan Gymnastics, 2020) and Jonah Soltz (Tacoma, Wash./Metropolitan Gymnastics, 2021) of Region 2, Tai Gopaul (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Lakeshore Academy, 2021) of Region 5, and Justin Ciccone (Rochester, N.Y./Bright Raven Gymnastics, 2021), Will Fleck (Fairfax Station, Va./Apollo Gymnastics, 2021) and Kristian Grahovski (Penfield, N.Y./Rochester Gymnastics Academy, 2021) of Region 7. While six gymnasts per region will compete Saturday, each region was allowed to travel with up to eight athletes.

Competitors
Participating Nastia Liukin Cup athletes are listed below alphabetically by division, while Elite Team Cup gymnasts are listed alphabetically by region. Only six athletes per region will compete in Saturday’s Elite Team Cup.

Nastia Liukin Cup

    Seniors
    Nailah Adams, Missouri City, Texas/Pearland Elite
    Nina Ballou, Boca Raton, Fla./American Twisters
    Jaydah Battle, Hampton, Va./World Class
    Mackenzie Estep, Auburn, Wash./Ascend Gymnastics
    Gwen Fink, Fort Mill, S.C./Southeastern
    Selena Harris, Henderson, Nev./Gymcats Gymnastics
    CJ Keuneke, Denver, Colo./Active Athletics
    Lucie Kirchner, Carmel, Ind./Jaycie Phelps Athletic Center
    Abby Martin, Bacliff, Texas/Pearland Elite
    Avery Neff, South Jordan, Utah/Olympus
    Lily Pederson, White Bear Lake, Minn./Flips
    Molly Peterson, Woodbury, Minn./Flips
    Morgan Price, Coppell, Texas/Texas Dreams
    Hannah Scheible, Kimball, Mich./All Amerian Flames
    Jamison Sears, Yorktown, Va./World Class Gymnastics
    Kelsey Slade, Vail, Ariz./Arizona Dynamics
    Nikki Smith, West Bloomfield, Mich./EuroStars
    Faith Torrez, Bristol, Wis./Legacy Elite
    Makayla Tucker, Fishers, Ind./Deveau’s
    Bryce Wilson, Pearland, Texas/Pearland Elite

    Juniors
    Ariana Barksdale, Morrisville, N.C./Sonshine
    Isabel Biro, Cincinnati, Ohio/Queen City
    Simone Brown, York, S.C./First in Flight
    Jasmine Cawley, Clermont, Fla./Brandy Johnson’s Global Gymnastics
    Kennedy Cochran, Chandler, Ariz./Gold Medal
    Clancy Conley, Carol Stream, Ill./Legacy Elite
    Presley Duke, Yukon, Okla./Dynamo
    Jayla Hang, Bellevue, Wash./Ascend Gymnastics Center
    Gabbie Hardie, Sioux Falls, S.D./Twin City Twisters
    Ava Jackson, Riverton, Utah/Olympus
    Lillian Jennejohn, Provo, Utah/Bold Gymnastics – Utah
    Greta Krob, Tipton, Iowa/Iowa Gym Nest
    Kamila Pawlak, Melissa, Texas/Metroplex Gymnastics
    Jocelyn Sasson, McChord AFB, Wash./Ascend Gymnastics Center (replacement)
    Bailey Stroud, New Palestine, Ind./Jaycie Phelps Athletic Center
    Carly Weinberg, Westerville, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics
    Elyse Wenner, Breinigsville, Pa./Stallone
    Imani White, Orlando, Fla./Brandy Johnson’s Global Gymnastics
    CaMarah Williams, Gladstone, Mo./EDGE Gymnastics – Riverside
    Halle Wittenberg, Kingwood, Texas/World Champions Centre

Qualified but unable to compete due to injury

  • Allison Cucci, Rochester, N.Y./Twin City Twisters
  • Brynn Torry, Yorktown, Va./World Class Gymnastics

Elite Team Cup

    Region 1 – Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada
    Ryan Barela, Peoria, Ariz./North Valley Gymnastics
    Colin Flores, Mountain House, Calif./West Coast Olympic Gymnastics Academy
    Tyler Flores, Mountain House, Calif./West Coast Olympic Gymnastics Academy
    Zach Green, San Jose, Calif./Stanford Boys Gymnastics
    Eric Hoe, Phoenix, Ariz./North Valley Gymnastics
    Maxwell Odden, Scottsdale, Ariz./North Valley Gymnastics
    Vahe Petrosyan, Van Nuys, Calif./Gymnastics Olympica USA
    Nathan Roman, Poway, Calif./Agility

    Region 2 – Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
    Kyle Jordan, Oregon City, Ore./OMEGA Gymnastics
    Sebastian Kane, Mercer Island, Wash./Metropolitan Gymnastics
    Jackson Maughan, Mercer Island, Wash./Emerald City Gymnastics Academy
    Zach Murray, Washougal, Wash./OMEGA Gymnastics
    Jonah Soltz, Tacoma, Wash./Metropolitan Gymnastics
    Gustavin Suess, Portland, Ore./OMEGA Gymnastics
    Luke Tully, Portland, Ore./Westside Dance and Gymnastics Academy
    Jax Washburn, Lake Oswego, Ore./OMEGA Gymnastics

    Region 3 – Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas
    Caden Clinton, Cypress, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics
    Alex Deubler, Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics
    Mason Heath, Katy, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics
    Cash Johnston, Houston, Texas/Houston Gymnastics Association
    Kiran Mandava, Cypress, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics
    Richard Mays, Sugarland, Texas/EnRich Gymnastics
    Chase Mondi, Lawrence, Kan./Emeral City Gymnastics
    David Shamah, McKinney, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics

    Region 4 – Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin
    Solen Chiodi, Marquette, Mich./Mini-Hops Gymnastics
    Mark Fu, Minnetonka, Minn./Mini-Hops Gymnastics
    Cameron Klimmek, Ramsey, Minn./Mini-Hops Gymnastics
    Michael Nguyen, Fort Dodge, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics
    Jude Norris, Carlisle, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics
    Saahil Tumuluri, Brookfield, Wis./Salto Gymnastics
    Matthew Underhill, Oconomowoc, Wis./Salto Gymnastics
    John Wear, Omaha, Neb./Cahoy’s Gymnastics

    Region 5 – Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio
    Sasha Bogonosiuk, Buffalo Grove, Ill./Gymkhana Gymanstics
    Tai Gopaul, Buffalo Grove, Ill./Lakeshore Academy
    Cooper Kim, Grand Ledge, Mich./Capital City Flips
    Diego Leautaud, Bartlett, Ill./Gymkhana Gymnastics
    Robert Noll, Jr., Richmond Township, Mich./Michigan Elite Gymnastics Academy
    Max Olinger, Lake Forest, Ill./Lakeshore Academy
    Kai Uemura, Chicago, Ill./Lakeshore Academy
    Nathan York, Plainfield, Ill./Premier Gymnastics Academy West

    Region 6 – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
    Owen Carney, Sterling, Mass./Sterling Academy of Gymnastics
    Tate Costa, Narragansett, R.I./Aim High Academy
    Jacob Harmon, Hooksett, N.H./Impact Gymnastics Academy
    Jake Islam, Suffield, Conn./Daggett Gymnastics
    Samuel Kaplan, Fairhaven, Mass./Aim High Academy
    Divier Ramos, Methuen, Mass./Interstate Gymnastics
    Brian Solomon, Lynnfield, Mass./Interstate Gymnastics
    Michelangelo Villani, Shrewsbury, Mass./New England Academy of Gymnastics

    Region 7 – Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
    Robert Alessio, Belleville, N.J./Meadowlands Gymnastics
    Hasan Aydogdu, Carlstadt, N.J./Meadowlands Gymnastics
    Justin Ciccone, Rochester, N.Y./Bright Raven Gymnastics
    Will Fleck, Fairfax Station, Va./Apollo Gymnastics
    Kristian Grahovski, Penfield, N.Y./Rochester Gymnastics Academy
    Adam Lakomy, Roselle Park, N.J./Sunburst Gymnastics
    Trent Peazant, Fairfax Station, Va./Apollo Gymnastics
    Pierce Wolfgang, Bryn Mawr, Pa./Montgomery County Sports Performance Center

    Region 8 – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
    Maxim Bereznev, Woodstock, Ga./Roswell Gymnastics
    Jaden Blank, Lakewood Ranch, Fla./EVO Gymnastics
    Chase Davenport-Mills, Johns Creek, Ga./Roswell Gymnastics
    Alex Karadzhov, St. Petersburg, Fla./EVO Gymnastics
    Alexandru Nitache, Knoxville, Tenn./GymTek Academy
    Garrett Schooley, Sarasota, Fla./EVO Gymnastics
    Nicholas Tarca, Knoxville, Tenn./GymTek Academy
    Danilo Viciana, Marietta, Ga./Cartersville Twisters

    Region 9 – Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming
    Nartey Brady, Los Ranchos, N.M./Gold Cup Gymnastics
    Kelton Christiansen, Arvada, Colo./5280 Gymnastics
    Asher Cohen, Lakewood, Colo./5280 Gymnastics
    Emmit Glover, Saratoga Springs, Utah/All American Gymnastics
    Ty Jordan, Morrison, Colo./5280 Gymnastics
    Ricken Matsuzawa, Provo, Utah/All American Gymnastics
    Gavin Zborowski, Arvada, Colo./5280 Gymnastics