Thanks to the many people and sponsors, the CGA hosted its second annual pre-season all-star competition. The East defeated the West (228.75 to 228.55) in a close and exciting matchup.
The competition began on the Floor with Illinois Dynamic Duo Connor McCool and Evan Manivong starting the East with the lead. Big scores 9.7 (Evan) and 9.65 (Connor) kicked off the first event thanks to SPIETH (FX sponsor).
The West bounced back and dominated Pommel Horse (sponsored by Safe Shins) with Oklahoma’s Ignacio Yockers (9.75) winning the tie-break over Air Force’s Patrick Hoopes.
Rings, sponsored by Locked In Athletics, was a toss-up until the final dual. Reigning NCAA rings champion Illinois’ Ashton Anaya (9.725) performed last to increase the lead by .775 over the West.
On Vault (sponsored by Virtius), the West answered back with Stanford’s Asher Hong (9.775) and Taylor Burkhart’s (9.55) difficult vaults, but fell short to Nebraska’s Zach Tiderman, (9.925) who performed a nearly flawless vault.
Parallel Bars saw a host of exciting performances, ultimately capped off by 2023-2024 CGA All-Star MVP, Penn State’s very own Josh Karnes (9.675). Karnes’ high-flying skills and textbook execution led him to the event title and kept the East in the lead.
The final event, High Bar (sponsored by TURN), was the last attempt for the West to take the title. Nebraska’s Sam Phillips (9.7) combined artistic style with supreme difficulty to take the high bar crown but left the team short by .2 of a point for the win. Tune in next year to witness the West avenge their heartbreaking loss.
Thanks again to our members, sponsors, producers, athletes, commentators, judges, and our fans that support CGA in awesome events like the ALL-STAR Competition.