© Team Photo

TORONTO, Ont., Canada, July 15, 2015 – Two-time World all-around finalist Jazzy Kerber of Highland Park, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, and 2014 Youth Olympic Games bronze medalist Laura Zeng of Libertyville, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, lead the field at the midway point of the rhythmic gymnastics all-around competition at the 2015 Pan Am Games in Toronto. Both Kerber and Zeng advanced to the individual apparatus finals for hoop and ball. The U.S. rhythmic group is currently in second place.

Rhythmic gymnastics at the Pan Am Games continues at the Toronto (Ont.) Coliseum tomorrow with the second day of the all-around final and individual event qualification, as well as the second rotation of the group all-around. Competition begins at 10 a.m. ET. Tomorrow is also the first day of trampoline competition, which begins at 7 p.m. ET.

Kerber was the first competitor of the competition, opening with a classical routine. She began with a beautiful back attitude rotation. Moving with her trademark grace, she tossed the hoop from her foot and caught it on her knee. She scored 16.517, which was the highest score of the day. She was again clean in the second rotation, moving gracefully across the carpet with a dramatic ball routine. She scored a 16.233, giving her a 32.750 and the lead in the all-around at the halfway mark.

With the hoop, Zeng, who also performed to classical music, began with a big toss with many rotations, catching the hoop behind her back. She incurred a .600 penalty when the hoop rolled out of bounds and she went outside of the area to retrieve it. She posted a 15.183. Zeng recovered in the second rotation, posting a 16.292 for her upbeat ball routine. She was the top qualifier to the ball final. After two events, she has earned a 31.475 total and is currently second in the all-around behind Kerber.

The U.S. group was the last to compete in today’s five ribbons competition. They earned an 14.600, which puts them in second after the first of two apparatus to determine the all-around medalists. The members of the rhythmic gymnastics group, who train at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, are: Kiana Eide of Northbrook, Ill.; Alisa Kano of Glencoe, Ill.; Natalie McGiffert of Northbrook, Ill.; Monica Rokhman of Northbrook, Ill.; Jennifer Rokhman of Northbrook, Ill.; and Kristen Shaldybin of Chicago.

Trampoline begins tomorrow with men’s and women’s qualifications and finals on July 19. The U.S. squad features: men – Logan Dooley of Lake Forest, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, and Steven Gluckstein of Atlantic Highlands, N.J./Elite Trampoline Academy; and women – Charlotte Drury of Laguna Niguel, Calif./World Elite Gymnastics, and Clare Johnson of Huntsville, Ala./The Matrix.

For more information, go to toronto2015.org.

ESPN and ESPN2 will present live 66 hours. ESPN’s telecasts will kick off with the Opening Ceremony on Friday, July 10, at 7:30 p.m. – marking the first English-language live presentation of the ceremony in 30 years – and wrap up with a five-hour live window on July 26 for the closing day of the Games, starting at 1:00 p.m. Between July 11- 25, ESPN2 will present two to six hours of daily live coverage focused on men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball, diving, swimming, gymnastics, boxing, track and field, and soccer. The network will also present daily highlights of all medal winners and the action across every venue.

ESPN3 will carry 580 hours of Pan American Games programming, with live access to almost every competition in more than 15 different disciplines, including basketball, gymnastics, swimming, diving, soccer, volleyball, karate, taekwondo, track and field, and many others.

Every Pan American coverage option on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, Longhorn Network, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Deportes+ will also be available through WatchESPN, accessible on computers, smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360, and Xbox One to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.