Regions 2, 6 and 8 reveal Elite Team Cup rosters
INDIANAPOLIS (February 9, 2023) – Teams from USA Gymnastics’ Men’s Artistic Regions 2, 6 and 8 will each have three Elite Team Cup veterans available when they take the floor February 25 at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky.
Region 8, which spans Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, will rely on the experience of Jaden Blank, Alex Karadzhov and last year’s all-around runner up Garrett Schooley, as they look to improve on back-to-back third place finishes in 2021 and 2022. Region 6, which will return veterans Luke Esparo, Jake Islam and Brian Soloman, finished fourth last season, while Region 2, led by Jonah Soltz, Luke Tully and Jax Washburn, slotted in eighth.
Multiple current and former U.S. Men’s National Team members have competed at the Elite Team Cup, including reigning U.S. all-around champion and World horizontal bar gold medalist Brody Malone (Aragon, Ga./Stanford University), who represented Region 8, 2019 World Championships team member Trevor Howard (Columbus, Ohio), who competed for Region 2, and current National Team members Ian Lasic-Ellis (Dover, Mass./Stanford University) and Fred Richard (Stoughton, Mass./University of Michigan) from Region 6.
The Elite Team Cup is being held in conjunction with the 2023 Winter Cup and Nastia Liukin Cup. The competition will stream live on USA Gymnastics’ YouTube channel. Visit WinterCup.com to learn more and purchase tickets.
Up to eight gymnasts per team may travel to the event, but only six will compete when the regions clash February 25. Provisional rosters for Regions 2, 6 and 8 are listed alphabetically below.
Region 2
Adrian Facundo, Elmira, Ore./National Academy of Artistic Gymnastics
Carson Higley, Salem, Ore./OMEGA Gymnastics
Cole Miller, Palmer, Alaska/Denali Gymnastics
Jonah Soltz, Tacoma, Wash./Metropolitan Gymnastics
Alan Sovrebov, Kent, Wash./Metropolitan Gymnastics
Luke Tully, Portland, Ore./OMEGA Gymnastics
Boone Washburn, Lake Oswego, Ore./OMEGA Gymnastics
Jax Washburn, Lake Oswego, Ore./OMEGA Gymnastics
Region 6
Aiden Bullock, Windsor Locks, Conn./Western Mass Gymnastics
Luke Esparo, North Haven, Conn./New Era Gymnastics
Jake Islam, Suffield, Conn./Western Mass Gymnastics
Alexander Noel, Nashua, N.H./Impact Gymnastics
Divier Ramos, Methuen, Mass./Interstate Gymnastics
Brian Solomon, Lynnfield, Mass./Interstate Gymnastics
Dylan Tu, Cheshire, Conn./New Era Gymnastics
Evan Zakrewski, Pelham, N.H./Interstate Gymnastics
Region 8
Benjamin Aguilar, Siesta Key, Fla./EVO Gymnastics
Jaden Blank, Lakewood Ranch, Fla./EVO Gymnastics
Alex Karadzhov, Saint Petersburg, Fla./EVO Gymnastics
Matthew Nguyen, Sugarland, Texas/Roswell Gymnastics
Jake Prabhakaran, Tampa, Fla./EVO Gymnastics
Garrett Schooley, Sarasota, Fla./EVO Gymnastics
Dylan Shepard, Casselberry, Fla./Gymnastics USA
Evan Wilkins, Franklin, Tenn./Harpeth School of Gymnastics
Men’s regions, which are determined by state, are listed below.
- Region 1 – Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada
- Region 2 – Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington
- Region 3 – Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas
- Region 4 – Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin
- Region 5 – Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio
- Region 6 – Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
- Region 7 – Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia
- Region 8 – Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee
- Region 9 – Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming