The second day of competition at the 2018 Men's JO Nationals Gymnastics Championships was all about the Level 8s and 9s. Last year's Level 8 (age 12) JE champ Joshua Karnes left no doubt he is about to become the JE champ in the Level 9 (age 13) division. Karnes (80.30) tallied 13-plus on five of six events, earning the leading scores on FX (T1st-13.95), PH (13.45), SR (T1st-13.45), VT (13.45) and HB (12.90) to compile a substantial lead going into Sunday's technical sequences finals. Karnes has the lead over [...more]
Brandon Briones (age 17), Evan Davis (age 18), John Chou (age 16) and Taylor Burkhart (age 15) were the top finishers in the Junior Elite (JE) division at the 2018 JO Nationals in Oklahoma City. Briones (84.25) and 2nd-place finisher Riley Loos (83.00) were separated by only .85 after five rotations, but Briones put the optionals contest out of reach, ending on PH (13.70). He was a picture of consistency, posting scores of 14-plus on five of six events, earning top scores on PH, PB (14.25) and HB (14.15). Loos, also from Region 1, had a big day on [...more]
Toward the end of a big day of Men's Gymnastics, a huge upset was brewing in Iowa City late Saturday night. The last meet of the day produced the NCAA Men's season's biggest surprise. When the final scores were tallied, 10th-ranked Iowa (404.05) had polished off visiting 2nd-ranked Penn State (396.55) and Arizona State (376.15). The Hawkeyes posted their highest team score, fueled by team victories on four events. They established new season highs on SR (69.25) and PB (68.25). Austin Hodges (PH-14.05), Dylan Ellsworth (VT-14.80, PB-T1st-14.20) and Andrew Herrador (HB-13.60) were event winners for the home team. Ellsworth also established [...more]
Yul Moldauer became the first gymnast since Jonathan Horton to win multiple American Cup titles. The anticipated prospect of a close contest between Moldauer and Japan's Kenzo Shirai disappeared early in the meet, as Shirai fell twice on PH. Shirai's third fall of the day, on HB, prevented even a podium finish for the Japanese world champion. Meanwhile, Moldauer (85.964) put on a clinic for consistency, going six-for-six, and placing no lower than 3rd place on the events. He compiled four 2nd-place event finishes and posted the day's top score on SR (14.333). His closest competitor was Great Britain's James Hall (83.297), who placed over 2.5 points lower. Hall was impressive, capturing [...more]
Only two dual meets this weekend, but plenty of teams in action. Two Big 10 teams (Illinois and Michigan) and collegiate national teams from Japan and Canada will invade the west coast to compete in the International Collegiate Challenge at Stanford. Meanwhile, Arnold Schwarzenegger will issue his annual challenge to Air Force, Nebraska and Ohio State. Navy will be busy with a weekend doubleheader. The American Cup will kick things off on Saturday. Be sure to watch Yul Moldauer defend his title in a field that includes Allan Bower and Japan's Kenzo Shirai! [...more]
Sam Mikulak put together two remarkably consistent days of gymnastics to earn his second Winter Cup AA title. Winning by almost six points, Mikulak had nearly identical scores (86.30/86.20) on both days. He won half of the event titles (FX,PB,HB) and was runner-up on PH. Saturday night's performance was almost like watching a replay of Thursday night's, right down to the [...more]
A familiar face in the Men's Gymnastics world is at the top of the leader board after Day 1 qualifying at Winter Cup. Sam Mikulak (86.30), despite a fall on his new triple back SR dismount and debuting a new but weaker Yurchenko 1 1/2 VT, simply ran away from his competition just like old times. Mikulak posted the top scores on FX (T1st-14.70), PB (15.20) and HB (14.70), and added a 3rd-place finish on PH (14.65) to distance himself by almost [...more]
Twelve U.S. Men’s Gymnastics National Team spots (three fewer than 2017) will be up for grabs this week in Las Vegas. Six of the spots will be given to the athletes with the top six all around scores, and a further six will be chosen by the Men’s Program Committee.
According to the USAG selection criteria, [...more]
Nebraska (407.70) posted the opening weekend's best team score to outlast a Rocky Mountain Open field that included Ohio State (404.45), Arizona State (390.95), host Air Force (389.95), Olympic Training Center (386.45) and Washington (370.60). The Huskers were led by two-event winner Kyle King (FX-14.65, VT-14.85) and Antonio Castro (HB-14.00). Alec Yoder led Ohio State with a two-event winning effort (PH-15.05, SR-14.70). Freshman Sean Neighbarger had a great collegiate debut with [...more]
Brody Malone, Vitaliy Guimaraes and Kevin Penev lead a strong recruiting class of '18 signees for NCAA Men's Gymnastics. All three gymnasts are current Junior National Team members. Stanford landed this year's top recruiting prize by signing Malone, the 2018 U.S. Junior AA champion (age 17-18). The Cardinal have five signees, including Ian Gunther, who placed 10th AA (17-18) at P&Gs. Illinois signed six gymnasts, including top signee [...more]
