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

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