2023 Winter Cup Preview
Of the 48 athletes competing at this year’s Winter Cup, 45 are current, future, or former NCAA athletes representing 10 of the CGAs 15 programs.
While the NCAA season is focused heavily on the team component, Winter Cup is entirely an individual competition. Each athlete, while representing their school, will be taking to the mat to fight for one of the coveted spots on the National Team. Notably missing from the list of registered athletes are two of our country’s finest gymnasts, Brody Malone and Colt Walker.
Without Brody and Colt, this competition could come down to two of the rising stars in American gymnastics. Stanford Freshman Asher Hong and Michigan Freshman Fred Richard are poised to face off in what could be a great preview of the NCAA All-Around competition slated for April.
Asher placed 6th at last fall’s World Championships and holds the top All-Around score in the NCAA this year. Fred has also put up some huge numbers coming off of his 4th place finish at the 2022 USA Championships. Winter Cup will be the first time Fred and Asher, long time national team teammates, will face off this year in what is sure to be an exciting battle.
Another development to watch for is the pommel horse competition. 2021 World Champion, Steven Nedoroscik headlines this field, but Steven’s club teammate and 2021 NCAA Champion, Ian Skirkey is also in the mix. Ignacio Yockers, the current event leader in the NCAA is coming off of back to back 15+ pommel horse performances. Over two days of competition this title is anyone’s for the taking.
In addition to the exciting matchups that we have yet to see play out this year, this is also an opportunity to see many of the top NCAA gymnasts compete with the same judges. It is nearly impossible to compare competitions based on the scores because judging can vary from competition to competition. Winter Cup will give us all a much better taste of where the top athletes truly stand.
This season has been full of surprises, with some of the top teams experiencing upsets and newcomers making their names known. This year’s Winter Cup is primed to continue that trend.
Below is a list from USA Gymnastics containing the roster for this year’s Winter Cup Challenge.
Javier Alfonso, Miami, FL/University of Michigan
Drake Andrews, Sarasota, FL/EVO Gymnastics
Michael Artlip, Bellaire, TX/Penn State University
Maxim Bereznev, Woodstock, GA/Roswell Gymnastics
Jeremy Bischoff, Santa Clarita, CA/Stanford University
Landen Blixt, Fowlerville, MI/University of Michigan
Cameron Bock, Ann Arbor, MI/University of Michigan
Garrett Braunton, USAF Academy, CO/USAF
Taylor Burkhart, Stanford, CA/Stanford University
Taylor Christopulos, Layton, UT/University of Nebraska
Matt Cormier, Milton, MA/Penn State University
Brandon Dang, San Jose, CA/West Coast Olympic Gymnastics Academy
Chase Davenport-Mills, Johns Creek, GA/Roswell Gymnastics
Alex Diab, Bradenton, FL/EVO Gymnastics
Isaiah Drake, Los Angeles, CA/US Naval Academy
Mike Fletcher, Nashua, NH/University of Illinois
Jack Freeman, Palestine, TX/University of Oklahoma
Spencer Goodell, Tigard, OR/University of Oklahoma
Vitaliy Guimaraes, Norman, OK/University of Oklahoma
Ian Gunther, Houston, TX/Stanford University
Dallas Hale, Frisco, TX/Cypress Academy
Asher Hong, Tomball, TX/Stanford University
Patrick Hoopes, Lehi, UT/USAF
Evan Hymanson, Morganville, NJ/Stanford Boys Gymnastics
Michael Jaroh, State College, PA/Penn State University
Joshua Karnes, Erie, PA/Penn State University
Anthony Koppie, Fayetteville, GA/Roswell Gymnastics
Ian Lasic-Ellis, Dover, MA/Stanford University
Troy Lipis, Valencia, CA/Gymnastics World
Riley Loos, Folsom, CA/Stanford University
Connor McCool, Chesterfield, MO/University of Illinois
Yul Moldauer, Arvada, CO/5280 Gymnastics
Stephen Nedoroscik, Sarasota, FL/EVO Gymnastics
Kameron Nelson, Evans, GA/Ohio State University
Noah Newfeld, Plano, TX/University of California – Berkeley
Zachary Nunez, Houston, TX/University of Oklahoma
Vahe Petrosyan, Van Nuys, CA/Gymnastics Olympica USA
Curran Phillips, Naperville, IL/Stanford University
Rithik Puri, Chicago, IL/University of Michigan
Fred Richard, Stoughton, MA/University of Michigan
David Shamah, McKinney, TX/EVO Gymnastics
Daniel Simmons, Cypress, TX/University of Oklahoma
Ian Skirkey, Pepperell, MA/University of Illinois
Blake Sun, San Antonio, TX/Stanford University
Colin Van Wicklen, Spring, FL/EVO Gymnastics
Shane Wiskus, Sarasota, FL/EVO Gymnastics
Ignacio Yockers, Tulsa, OK/University of Oklahoma
Khoi Young, Bowie, MD/Stanford University