Long Beach, Calif, May 13, 2011 – Four of the eight all-around champions have been determined at the 2011 Women’s U.S. Junior Olympic National Championships at the Long Beach Sports Arena. The competition wraps up on May 14 with the final four divisions. The two-day event features nearly 450 of the USA’s best Level 10 gymnasts, who compete on the highest level in the Junior Olympic program that is just under the elite level.

The top four gymnasts in each age group make up the Junior Olympic National Team. The champions determined on May 13 are as follows.

  • Junior A – Alexandra McMurtry of Richmond, Va./Richmond Olympiad Gymnastics, won the all-around title with 38.575 points, as well as tied for the highest score on vault with a 9.950 and floor with a score of 9.650. Maggie Nichols of Little Canada, Minn./ Twin City Twisters, took second in the all-around with a score of 38.450. Nichols tied for first on bars with Team Northwind’s Amanda Huang of Roswell, Ga., with a score of 9.550. Nichols also tied for first on beam with Nia Dennis of New Albany, Ohio/Buckeye, with a score of 9.550. Dennis and Rachel Dickson of Canton, Mich./MEGA, also tied for third place in the all-around with a score of 37.900.

    Region 5 won the Junior A team title with a score of 150.775, followed by Region 4 with 150.725 and Region 8 and Region 1 tied for third with a score of 150.000.

  • Senior A – Asi Peko of Las Vegas and Brown’s Las Vegas, won the all-around title with a score of 38.400 and three individual event titles including vault (9.650), beam (9.650) and tied for first on floor with Kaytianna McMillan of Coburg, Ore./National Academy, with a score of 9.700. Keeley Kmieciak of Naperville, Ill./Phenom, took second in the all-around with a score of 38.275. Rachel Spicer of Highland Village, Texas/Metroplex, took third in the all-around with a score of 38.150. Arlyn Amor of Dewitt, Mich./Twistars USA, won the uneven bars title with a score of 9.550.

    Region 5 won the Senior A team title with a score of 151.975 followed by Region 1 with a 151.825 and Region 3 with a 150.200.

  • Junior B – There was a tie for first place in the all-around between Elizabeth Gangale of Henderson, Nev./Brown’s Las Vegas, and Bayle Pickel of Kentwood, Mich./Twistars USA, with a score of 37.900. Gangale won the vault title with a score of 9.750. Chanen Raygoza of Upland, Calif./Wildfire, took third in the all-around with a score of 37.875. There was a tie for fourth in the all-around between Lindsey Lemke of Holt, Mich./Twistars USA, and Haylee Rose of Mesquite, Texas/Metroplex, with a score of 37.850. Madison Stover of Fullerton, Calif./Wildfire, won the beam title with a score of 9.600. Nichelle Christopherson of Reno, Nev./Byers Elk Grove, won the floor title with a score of 9.600.

    Region 5 won the team title with a score of 151.475 followed by Region 3 with 151.275 and Region 1 with a 151.250.

  • Senior B – Hollie Blanske of Anoka, Minn./Twin City Twisters, won the all-around title with a score of 38.450 as well as the bars and floor titles with scores of 9.625 and 9.775, respectively. Kathy Tang of Agawam, Mass./Daggett, finished second in the all-around with a score of 37.925. Maile’ana Kanewa of Duluth, Minn./TAGS, finished third in the all-around with a score of 37.800. There was a tie for fourth all-around between Tory Wilson of Albuquerque, N.M./Gold Cup, and Breanna Hughes of Champlin, Ohio/Twin City Twisters, with scores of 37.775. Randii Wyrick of Brown’s Las Vegas and Sandra Collantes of Virginia Beach, Va./Excalibur, shared the vault title with a score of 9.775. Samantha Pearsall of LaGrange, Ill./IGI, and Jenna Frowein of Kaneohe, Hawaii/Hawaiian Islands, shared the beam title both scoring a 9.525.

    Region 4 won the team title with a score of 152.525 followed by Region 3 with 151.375 and Region 1 with a 151.025.

The Junior Olympic National Championships is the culmination event for the competitive season. The competition features eight age divisions (Junior A, Junior B, Junior C, Junior D, Senior A, Senior B, Senior C and Senior D), which are determined by age and birth date.

The competition schedule for May 14 is: 11:30 a.m., Junior and Senior C, and 5 p.m., Junior and Senior D.

The U.S. Junior Olympic National Championships is one of the national championships of USA Gymnastics, the sport’s national governing body in the United States. Many Junior Olympic champions have gone on to make the U.S. National Team and represent the United States in international competition and/or to compete in collegiate gymnastics.

The Junior Olympic National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is held in conjunction with the Women’s National Junior Olympic Championships. The JO-NIT was developed to allow an additional 192 athletes an opportunity to compete at the national level and features gymnasts who ranked eighth, ninth and 10th in the all-around in each of the eight age divisions at the Level 10 Regional Championships (provided they achieved a minimum all-around score of 34.00), plus any Regional individual event champions who did not qualify to the Junior Olympic Nationals or the JO-NIT in the all-around qualify for that event. Competition is on May 15, at the Long Beach Sports Arena.