Press release via USA Gymnastics:

INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 2, 2018 – 2018 GK U.S. Classic senior and junior all-around champions Simone Biles of Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, and Leanne Wong of Overland Park, Kansas/Great American Gymnastics Express, respectively, are expected to compete at the 2018 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, the national championships for men’s and women’s gymnastics, at Boston’s TD Garden. Scheduled for August 16-19, 2018, the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, part of the Team USA Summer Champions Series, presented by Xfinity, features the country’s best gymnasts vying for national titles and national team berths.

Reigning World all-around champion Morgan Hurd of Middletown, Del./First State Gymnastics, 2017 U.S. all-around champion and 2016 Olympic alternate Ragan Smith of Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, and 2017 World vault and floor exercise silver-medalist Jade Carey of Phoenix, Ariz./Arizona Sunrays, are also among the 49 senior and junior women who will compete in Boston.

Last weekend, Biles kicked off her return to competitive gymnastics at the GK U.S. Classic, where she won the all-around, balance beam and floor titles.  It was the first time she had competed since her record-setting performance at the 2016 Olympic Games, which included winning the team, all-around, vault and floor exercise gold and balance beam bronze medals, as well as becoming the first U.S. gymnast to win four gold medals at a single Olympic Games.

Also at the 2018 GK U.S. Classic, Riley McCusker of Brielle, N.J./MG Elite, won the uneven bars gold and all-around silver medals. Hurd rounded out the top three in the senior all-around, and Carey won the vault gold.

Other members of the U.S. National Team competing as seniors are:  Jordan Chiles of Vancouver, Washington/Naydenov; Audrey Davis of Frisco, Texas/WOGA; Kara Eaker of Grain Valley, Missouri/GAGE; Margzetta Frazier of Sicklerville, New Jersey/UCLA; Adeline Kenlin of Iowa City, Iowa/IGN; Emma Malabuyo of Flower Mound, Texas/Texas Dreams; Grace McCallum of Isanti, Minnesota/Twin City Twisters; Maile O'Keefe of Las Vegas, Nevada/Salcianu Elite; and Trinity Thomas of York, Pennsylvania/Prestige.

For the juniors, Kayla DiCello of Boyds, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics, finished behind Wong in the all-around, and Jordan Bowers of Lincoln, Neb./Solid Rock Gymnastics, was third at the GK U.S. Classic. The junior event champions were: Wong – vault and floor; DiCello, uneven bars; and Sunisa Lee of St. Paul, Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center, balance beam. Wong is also the only junior woman hoping to defend her 2017 U.S. junior title (vault).  The junior field also features three additional National Team members: Sydney Barros of Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams; JaFree Scott of Independence, Missouri/GAGE; and Tori Tatum of Chanhassen, Minnesota/Twin City Twisters.

The four-day competition schedule, which is subject to change, is outlined below.  All times are Eastern.

·Thursday, August 16:  Men’s gymnastics – 1:30 p.m., juniors, and 7:30 p.m., seniors

·Friday, August 17:  Women’s gymnastics – 1:30 p.m., juniors, and 7:30 p.m., seniors

·Saturday, August 18:  Men’s gymnastics – 10:30 a.m., juniors, and 3:30 p.m., seniors

·Sunday, August 19:  Women’s gymnastics – 1:30 p.m., juniors, and 7:30 p.m., seniors

The championships determines the men’s and women’s U.S. champions and U.S. National Teams for the junior and senior elite levels. The championships also will serve as part of the selection process for the U.S. Team for the 2018 World Championships.

2017 U.S. all-around and two-time American Cup champion Yul Moldauer of Arvada, Colorado/University of Oklahoma; two-time Olympian and four-time U.S. all-around championSam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center; and 2016 U.S. Olympic team alternate Donnell Whittenburg of Baltimore, Md./U.S. Olympic Training Center, headline the senior men’s field Three gymnasts are hoping to defend their senior 2017 U.S. titles:Marvin Kimble of Milwaukee, Wisconsin/Salto Gymnastics, still rings and horizontal bar (tie); Akash Modi of Morganville, New Jersey/Stanford University, parallel bars; and Moldauer, all-around and floor exercise.The U.S. Senior National Team members expected to compete are:  Donothan Bailey of Mission Viejo, California/U.S. Olympic Training Center; Allan Bower of Chandler, Arizona/University of Oklahoma; Kimble; Sean Melton of Orlando, Florida/Ohio State University; Mikulak; Modi; Moldauer; Whittenburg; Shane Wiskus of Spring Park, Minnesota/University of Minnesota; and Alec Yoder of Indianapolis /Ohio State University.

The men’s junior field includes four 2018 junior elite champions:  Brandon Briones of Gilbert, Arizona/Aspire Kids Sports Center, all-around, still rings, parallel bars and horizontal bar (17-18); John Chou of Cypress, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics, all-around and pommel horse (15-16); Vitaliy Guimaraes of Arvada, Colorado/University of Oklahoma, floor exercise (17-18); and Riley Loos of El Dorado Hills, California/Technique Gymnastics, floor exercise, pommel horse and vault (17-18).   Members of the U.S. Junior National Team entered to compete in Boston are:  Justin Ah Chow of Miami /Universal Gymnastics; Lazarus Barnhill of Houston/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics; Garrett Braunton of Olympia, Washington/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics; Briones; Chou; Guimaraes; Bennet Huang of Palo Alto, California/University of Iowa; Paul Juda of Deerfield, Illinois/Buffalo Grove Gymnastics; Loos; Kevin Penev of Penfield, New York/University of Michigan; Colt Walker of Cedar Park, Texas/AcroTex Gymnastics; and Dylan Young of Burbank, California/Wallers GymJam Academy.

The 2018 U.S. Gymnastics Championships is part of the 2018 Team USA Summer Champions Series, presented by Xfinity. The champions series showcases numerous Olympic sports throughout the season, highlighting the year-round quest of Team USA athletes to compete at the Olympic Games.

Smith and Moldauer won the women’s and men’s 2017 U.S. all-around titles, respectively.  The roster of former U.S. all-around champions is a veritable who's who of gymnastics, including: women – Simone Biles, Jordyn Wieber, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson, Carly Patterson, Courtney Kupets, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Kim Zmeskal and Mary Lou Retton; and men – Sam Mikulak, Jonathan Horton, Paul Hamm, Blaine Wilson, John Roethlisberger, Tim Daggett, Mitch Gaylord, Peter Vidmar and Bart Conner. The U.S. Gymnastics Championships traces its history back to 1897 for the men and 1931 for the women.

While Boston played host to the 2008 U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Championships, 2018 marks the event’s debut at the TD Garden and the first time Boston has staged the national championships for both men’s and women’s gymnastics.  In addition, Boston was the site for the 1996 and 2000 U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Team Trials and several post-Olympic gymnastics tour events.

Women’s field for the 2018 U.S. Gymnastics Championships

Listed alphabetically by state, indicates competition level

Arizona

Jade Carey, Phoenix, Arizona/Arizona Sunrays, senior

California

Ciena Alipio, San Jose, California/West Valley Gymnastics, junior

Claire Dean, Piedmont, California/Head Over Heels, junior

Levi Jung-Ruivivar, Woodland Hills, California/Paramount Elite, junior

Brenna Neault, Rancho Cucamonga, California/Precision, junior

Ui Soma, Belmont, California/San Mateo, junior

Madelyn Williams, Vacaville, California/San Mateo, senior

Colorado

Alyona Shchennikova, Evergreen, Colorado/5280, senior

Delaware

Morgan Hurd, Middletown, Delaware/First State, senior

Iowa

Adeline Kenlin, Iowa City, Iowa/IGN, senior

Kansas

Leanne Wong, Overland Park, Kansas/GAGE, junior

Maryland

Kayla Di Cello, Boyds, Maryland/Hill's Gymnastics, junior

Maddie Johnston, Boyds, Maryland/Hill's Gymnastics, senior

Sydney Morris, Bowie, Maryland/First State, junior

Minnesota

Sunisa Lee, St. Paul, Minnesota/Midwest Gymnastics Center, junior

Grace McCallum, Isanti, Minnesota/Twin City Twisters, senior

Tori Tatum, Chanhassen, Minnesota/Twin City Twisters, junior

Missouri

Kara Eaker, Grain Valley, Missouri/GAGE, senior

Aleah Finnegan, Lee's Summit, Missouri/GAGE, junior

Alexis Jeffrey, Warrensburg, Missouri/GAGE, junior

JaFree Scott, Independence, Missouri/GAGE, junior

Nebraska

Jordan Bowers, Lincoln, Nebraska/Solid Rock, junior

Nevada

Kailin Chio, Henderson, Nevada/Gymcats, junior

Selena Harris, Henderson, Nevada/Gymcats, junior

Maile O'Keefe, Las Vegas, Nevada/Salcianu Elite, senior

New Jersey

Olivia Dunne, Hillsdale, New Jersey/ENA Paramus, senior

Margzetta Frazier, Sicklerville, New Jersey/UCLA, senior

Zoe Gravier, Holmdel, New Jersey/MG Elite, junior

Riley McCusker, Brielle, New Jersey/MG Elite, senior

New York

Olivia Greaves, Staten Island, New York/MG Elite, junior

Ohio

Shania Adams, Plain City, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics, senior

Shilese Jones, Westerville, Ohio/Future Gymnastics Academy, senior

Lilly Lippeatt, Mason, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, junior

Pennsylvania

Trinity Thomas, York, Pennsylvania/Prestige, senior

Texas

Sydney Barros, Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams, junior

Simone Biles, Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, senior

Skye Blakely, Frisco, Texas/WOGA, junior

Sloane Blakely, Frisco, Texas/WOGA, senior

Luisa Blanco, Little Elm, Texas/WOGA, senior

Sophia Butler, Houston, Texas/Discover, junior

Audrey Davis, Frisco, Texas/WOGA, senior

Karis German, Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, junior

Jaylene Gilstrap, McKinney, Texas/Metroplex, senior

Emma Malabuyo, Flower Mound, Texas/Texas Dreams, senior

Katelyn Rosen, Boerne, Texas/Mavericks at Artemovs, junior

Ragan Smith, Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams, senior

Deanne Soza, Coppell, Texas/Texas Dreams, senior

Washington

Jordan Chiles, Vancouver, Washington/Naydenov, senior

West Virginia

Konnor McClain, Cross Lanes, West Virginia/Revolution, junior