INDIANAPOLIS, July 19, 2017 – 2016 Olympic replacement athletes Ashton Locklear of Hamlet, N.C./Everest Gymnastics, and Ragan Smith of Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, who won the 2017 AT&T American Cup, headline the field at the 2017 U.S. Classic, set for July 29 at Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The U.S. Classic is the final opportunity for female gymnasts to qualify for the 2017 P&G Championships, USA Gymnastics’ national championships, scheduled for Aug. 17-20 in Anaheim, Calif.
Competition will begin Saturday at 1 p.m. CT with the junior elites, followed by the senior session at 6:30 p.m. CT. A total of 73 athletes from 25 states will compete in the junior and senior elite sessions. Many athletes who have already qualified for the P&G Championships will use the U.S. Classic as a final tune-up for the competition in Anaheim.
In addition to Locklear and Smith, the senior field features 2017 Stuttgart World Cup all-around bronze medalist Morgan Hurd of Middletown, Del./First State Gymnastics; 2017 Jesolo Trophy all-around and balance beam champion Riley McCusker of Brielle, N.J./MG Elite; 2017 Jesolo Trophy floor champion and all-around bronze medalist Abby Paulson of Coon Rapids, Minn./Twin City Twisters; 2017 Jesolo Trophy team gold medalists Alyona Shchennikova of Evergreen, Colo./5280 Gymnastics, and Trinity Thomas of York, Pa./Prestige Gymnastics; along with fellow U.S. Senior National Team members Shania Adams of Plain City, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics, and Jordan Chiles of Vancouver, Wash./Naydenov Gymnastics. Victoria Nguyen of West Des Moines, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics and Dance Institute, withdrew from the U.S. Classic and looks to return to competition at next month’s P&G Championships.
The six members of the U.S. Junior National Team in the field will compete during the senior session but will vie for junior titles: Olivia Dunne of Hillsdale, N.J./Eastern National Academy of Paramus; Adeline Kenlin of Iowa City, Iowa/IGN; Emma Malabuyo of Flower Mound, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics; Maile O’Keefe of Las Vegas, Nev./Salcianu Elite Academy of Gymnastics; Sunisa Lee of Saint Paul, Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center; and Gabby Perea of Geneva, Ill./Legacy Elite. The six are competing in the senior session due to the large number of junior gymnasts who qualified for the U.S. Classic.Â
The complete field is listed below.
The Hopes Championships, which features young, aspiring female gymnasts, is set for Friday, July 28, and tickets range from $20-$30. The Hopes classification is just below the elite level, and the Hopes Championships, previously known as the U.S. Challenge, is the culmination of the Hopes athletes’ season.
Single session tickets for competition on July 29 are $35-$45 for the junior session at 1 p.m. and $39-$59 for the senior session at 6:30 p.m. All times are Central and subject to change. All-session ticket packages, which include admission to the junior and senior elite sessions along with the Hopes Championships, are still available and range from $79-$129.
Ticket prices vary according to competition session and seat location. To purchase tickets, visit www.SearsCentre.com, call 1-888-SEARS-TIX, or visit the Wintrust Box Office at the Sears Centre Arena.
Fans who cannot make the trip to Chicago can watch the junior session and the Hopes Championships via a live webcast at usagymclassic.com/live. The Olympic Channel is broadcasting the senior competition live, and the webcast may be viewed on mobile devices via olympicchannel.com/en/tv. For more information, go to usagymclassic.com.
The P&G Championships is the national championships for USA Gymnastics and determines the U.S. champions and the U.S. National Team. The 2017 P&G Championships are scheduled for Aug. 17-20 at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. For more information, go to pgchamps.com.
Background information
- Sears Centre Arena. Sears Centre Arena is an 11,000-seat multipurpose family entertainment, cultural, and sports arena located in Hoffman Estates’ Prairie Stone Business Park. The Sears Centre Arena, which opened in 2006, is designed to accommodate a variety of events including concerts, family shows and sporting events. For more information regarding the Sears Centre Arena and upcoming events, please visit the arena’s website at www.searscentre.com;
- USA Gymnastics. Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men’s and women’s artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics and Gymnastics for All (formerly known as group gymnastics). For more complete information, log on to www.usagym.org;
2017 U.S. Classic Field
Alpha by state, last name
Alabama
Carina Jordan, Millbrook, Ala./Prattville YMCA, junior
Arizona
Jade Carey, Phoenix, Ariz./Oasis Gymnastics, senior
California
Ciena Alipio, San Jose, Calif./West Valley Gymnastics School, junior
Frida Esparza, Pittsburg, Calif./Head Over Heels, senior
Sydney Kho, Rosemead, Calif./Winner’s Academy of Gymnastics, junior
Emily Lee, Los Gatos, Calif./West Valley Gymnastics School, junior
Laney Madsen, Temecula, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics, senior
Jacquelyn Moran, Soquel, Calif./San Mateo Gymnastics, junior
Brenna Neault, Alta Loma, Calif./Precision Gymnastics, junior
Madelyn Williams, Vacaville, Calif./San Mateo Gymnastics, junior
Colorado
Anapaula Gutierrez, Highlands Ranch, Colo./TIGAR, junior
Jimena Gutierrez, Highlands Ranch, Colo./TIGAR, junior
Jay Jay Marshall, Greeley, Colo./TIGAR, junior
Alyona Shchennikova, Evergreen, Colo./5280 Gymnastics, senior
Kalyany Steele, Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado Aerials Gymnastics Center, senior
Delaware
Love Birt, Wyoming, Del./First State Gymnastics, junior
Morgan Hurd, Middletown, Del./First State Gymnastics, senior
Florida
Brooke Butler, Wilton Manors, Fla./Midwest Gymnastics Center, junior
Emily Gaskins, Coral Springs, Fla./Cincinnati Gymnastics, senior
Sydney Johnson-Scharpf, Groveland, Fla./Brandy Johnson’s Global Gymnastics, senior
Georgia
Elena Arenas, Bogart, Ga./Georgia Elite Gymnastics, senior
Sydney Barros, Woodstock, Ga./Texas Dreams Gymnastics, junior
Illinois
Ellie Lazzari, Wheaton, Ill./Gym Nasti, junior
Gabby Perea of Geneva, Ill./Legacy Elite, junior
Iowa
Adeline Kenlin, Iowa City, Iowa/IGN, junior
Kansas
Leanne Wong, Overland Park, Kan./Great American Gymnastics Express, junior
Maryland
Kayla Di Cello, Boyds, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics, junior
Madeleine Johnston, Boyds, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics, junior
Anya Pilgrim, Germantown, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics, junior
Michigan
Leah Clapper, Ann Arbor, Mich./Gym America, senior
Minnesota
Sunisa Lee, Saint Paul, Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center, junior
Grace McCallum, Isanti, Minn./Twin City Twisters, junior
Abby Paulson, Coon Rapids, Minn./Twin City Twisters, senior
Missouri
Kara Eaker, Grain Valley, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express, junior
JaFree Scott, Independence, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express, junior
Nebraska
Jordan Bowers, Lincoln, Neb./Solid Rock Gymnastics, junior
Nevada
Selena Harris, Henderson, Nev./Gymcats Gymnastics, junior
Maile O’Keefe, Las Vegas, Nev./Salcianu Elite Academy of Gymnastics, junior
Sienna Robinson, Las Vegas, Nev./Brown’s Gymnastics Las Vegas, junior
New Jersey
Corinne Bunagan, Ramsey, N.J./Eastern National Academy of Paramus, junior
Olivia Dunne, Hillsdale, N.J./Eastern National Academy of Paramus, junior
Marz Frazier, Erial, N.J./Parkettes National Gymnastics Center, senior
Riley McCusker, Brielle, N.J./MG Elite, senior
Brooke Siter, Mountainside, N.J./North Stars Gymnastics Academy, junior
North Carolina
Gabbie Gallentine, Iron Station, N.C./Everest Gymnastics, junior
Lauren Little, Mooresville, N.C./Everest Gymnastics, junior
Ashton Locklear, Charlotte, N.C./Everest Gymnastics, senior
Marissa Oakley, Huntersville, N.C./Everest Gymnastics, senior
Victoria Smirnov, Hickory, N.C./Shooting Stars Gymnastics, junior
Ohio
Shania Adams, Plain City, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics, senior
Nikki Beckwith, Westerville, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics, junior
Shilese Jones, Westerville, Ohio/Buckeye Gymnastics, junior
Lillian Lippeatt, Mason, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics, junior
Pennsylvania
Cael Bixler, Palmyra, Pa./Prestige Gymnastics, junior
Addison Fatta, Wrightsville, Pa./Prestige Gymnastics, junior
Trinity Thomas, York, Pa./Prestige Gymnastics, senior
South Carolina
Maeve Hahn, Lake Wylie, S.C./First in Flight, junior
Texas
Annie Beard, Dallas, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, junior
Luisa Blanco, Little Elm, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics, senior
Audrey Davis, Frisco, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics, junior
Hannah Hagle, Chireno, Texas/Texas East Gymnastics, junior
Olivia Hollingsworth, Seabrook, Texas/Stars Gymnastics Training Center-Houston, junior
Kaytlyn Johnson, Lantana, Texas/Denton Gymnastics Academy, junior
Emma Malabuyo, Flower Mound, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, junior
Deiah-Marie Moody, Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics, junior
Tienna Nguyen, Allen, Texas/Zenith Elite Gymnastics Academy, junior
Ragan Smith, Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, senior
Deanne Soza, Coppell, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, senior
Morgan Trevor, Allen, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics, junior
Abi Walker, Carrollton, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics, senior
Virginia
Abigail Scanlon, Sterling, Va./Capital Gymnastics National Training Center, junior
Washington
Jordan Chiles, Vancouver, Wash./Naydenov Gymnastics Inc., senior
West Virginia
Konnor McClain, Cross Lanes, W. Va./Revolution Gymnastics, junior