Trevor Howard won two Level 10 (16-18) event titles
© Champion Images

LONG BEACH, Calif., May 8, 2011 – The 2011 U.S. Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships at the Long Beach (Calif.) Arena wrapped up with the individual event finals for all three levels, Level 9, Level 10 (14-15) and Level 10 (16-18).

For Level 9, Marty Strech of Fountain Valley, Calif./Azarian U.S. Gymnastics, won two gold, two silver and two bronze individual event medals, adding to his all-around gold won earlier this week. He took top honors in the pommel horse (13.550) and horizontal bar (13.850), silver medals for the still rings and parallel bars, and bronze for the floor exercise and vault. Emyre Cole of N. Las Vegas, Nev./Go For It, also won two medals, winning the floor exercise title (14.200) and placing second on vault. The other three individual event champions are: Josiah Eng of New Berlin, Wis./Swiss Turners, still rings (14.800); Fabian Deluna of Allen, Texas/WOGA, vault (15.650); and J.J. Litster of American Fork, Utah/Arete Gymnastics, parallel bars (13.900).

In the Level 10 14-15 division, the six individual event champions are: Chandler Eggleston of Jamestown, N.C./High Point Gymnastics Academy, floor exercise (15.150); Akash Modi of Morganville, N.J./Monmouth Gymnastics Academy, pommel horse (14.450); Marvin Kimble of Milwaukee, Wis./Swiss Turners, still rings (14.850); Lee Grogan of Paragould, Ark./Champions, vault (16.150); Dmitri Belanovski of West Allis, Wis./Swiss Turners, parallel bars (14.150); and Danny DiBenedetto of Vernon, Conn./Tim Daggett Gold Medal Gymnastics, horizontal bar (14.050).

In the Level 10 16-18 division, Trevor Howard of Columbus, Ohio/Hocking Valley Gymnastics Center, won the title for both the floor exercise (15.550) and vault (16.500). Adrian De Los Angeles of Long Beach, Calif./SCATS, who won the all-around title earlier in the competition, took top honors for the parallel bars (15.000) and second on pommel horse. The other three champions are: Craig Hernandez of Libertyville, Ill./Buffalo Grove, pommel horse (15.050); Michael Wilner of Buffalo Grove, Ill./Gymnastics Spot, still rings (15.650); and Jesse Glenn of Northridge, Calif./SCATS Gymnastics, horizontal bar (14.600)

The levels are determined by age and skill level. Level 10 is split into two age groups, 14-15 years old and 16-18 years old, while Level 9 has only 12-13 years old. The Junior Olympic National Championships are a qualifier for Level 10 gymnasts to advance to the Visa Championships (Aug. 17-20 in Saint Paul, Minn.), where the national teams for both age groups are determined. The top gymnasts in Level 9 are named to the Junior Olympic National Team.

Azarian US Gymnastics Training Center is the host club for the Junior Olympic Championships. The meet co-directors are Tim and Melany Klempnauer and Roger and Debbie Baldwin.

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. All of the members of the medal winning 2004 (silver) and 2008 (bronze) U.S. Olympic Teams are past Junior Olympic National Championships participants, including Paul Hamm, 2004 Olympic all-around champion, and Jonathan Horton, 2008 Olympic horizontal bar silver medalist and 2010 World all-around bronze medalist.

Awards photos by Champion Images

2011 Men’s Junior Olympic National Championships
Long Beach, Calif.
May 8, 2011>br? Individual event finals

Level 9

Floor exercise
1. Emyre Cole, N. Las Vegas, Nev./Go For It, 14.200
2. Michael Chan, Louisville, Ky./Champion Gymnastics, 13.900
3. Marty Strech, Fountain Valley, Calif./Azarian U.S. Gymnastics, 13.850

Pommel horse
1. Marty Strech, Fountain Valley, Calif./Azarian U.S. Gymnastics, 13.550
2. Ryan Wangler, Savage, Minn./TAGS, 13.350
3. Nicholas Merryman, Brookline, N.H./Gym Village, 13.300

Still rings
1. Josiah Eng, New Berlin, Wis./Swiss Turners, 14.800
2. Marty Strech, Fountain Valley, Calif./Azarian U.S. Gymnastics, 14.100
3. David Jessen, East Greenwich, R.I./Rhode Island Sports Elite, 14.050

Vault
1. Fabian Deluna, Allen, Texas/WOGA, 15.650
2. Emyre Cole, N. Las Vegas, Nev./Go For it, 15.500
3. Marty Strech, Fountain Valley, Calif./Azarian U.S. Gymnastics, 15.300

Parallel bars
1. J.J. Litster, American Fork, Utah/Arete Gymnastics, 13.900
2T. Marty Strech, Fountain Valley, Calif./Azarian U.S. Gymnastics, 13.700
3T. David Jessen, East Greenwich, R.I./Rhode Island Sports Elite, 13.700

Horizontal bar
1. Marty Strech, Fountain Valley, Calif./Azarian U.S. Gymnastics, 13.850
2. David Jessen, East Greenwich, R.I./Rhode Island Sports Elite, 13.700
3. Michael Burns, Hocking Valley, 12.800

Level 10 –14-15

Floor exercise
1. Chandler Eggleston, Jamestown, N.C./High Point Gymnastics Academy, 15.150
2. Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro, 15.100
3. Marvin Kimble, Milwaukee, Wis./Swiss Turners, 14.700

Pommel horse
1. Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J./Monmouth Gymnastics Academy, 14.450
2T. Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro, 14.350
3T. Marvin Kimble, Milwaukee, Wis./Swiss Turners, 14.350

Still rings
1. Marvin Kimble, Milwaukee, Wis./Swiss Turners, 14.850
2. Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro, 14.800
3. Andrew Botto, Redwood City, Calif./Stanford Gymnastics, 14.600

Vault
1. Lee Grogan, Paragould, Ark./Champions, 16.150
2. Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro, 16.000
3. Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J./Monmouth Gymnastics Academy, 15.850

Parallel bars
1. Dmitri Belanovski, West Allis, Wis./Swiss Turners, 14.150
2. Travis Gollott, Livermore, Calif./West Coast Olympic Gymnastics Academy, 13.700
3. Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J./Monmouth Gymnastics Academy, 13.650

Horizontal bar
1. Danny DiBenedetto, Vernon, Conn./Tim Daggett Gold Medal Gymnastics, 14.050
2. Andrew Rickly, Lewis Center, Ohio/Hocking Valley Gymnastics Center, 13.950
3. Timothy Wang, Riverside, Calif./South Coast Gymnastics, 13.700

Level 10 – 16-18

Floor exercise
1. Trevor Howard, Columbus, Ohio/Hocking Valley Gymnastics Center, 15.550
2. Jonathan Deaton, Longmeadow, Mass./Tim Daggett Gold Medal Gymnastics, 15.150
3. Grant Perdue, Missouri City, Texas/GymMasters, 15.050

Pommel horse
1. Craig Hernandez, Libertyville, Ill./Buffalo Grove Gymnastics Center, 15.050
2. Adrian De Los Angeles, Long Beach, Calif./SCATS, 14.600
3. Logan Bradley, Naperville, Ill./Bartlett Gymnastics Center, 14.450

Still rings
1. Michael Wilner, Buffalo Grove, Ill./Gymnastics Spot, 15.650
2. Donnell Whittenburg, Baltimore, Md./Ultimate Gymnastics, 15.500
3. Jonathan Spiro, Laguna Niguel, Calif./New Hope Academy of Gymnastics, 15.300

Vault
1. Trevor Howard, Columbus, Ohio/Hocking Valley Gymnastics Center, 16.500
2. Larry Mayer, Carmel, Ind./DeVeau’s Gymnastics, 16.300
3. Jake Martin, Oviedo, Fla./Orlando Metro, 16.050

Parallel bars
1. Adrian De Los Angeles, Long Beach, Calif./SCATS, 15.000
2. Stacey Ervin, Taylor, Mich./Mills Gymnastics USA, 14.600
3. Maximilian Mayr, Miami/Universal Gymnastics, 14.550

Horizontal bar
1. Jesse Glenn, Northridge, Calif./SCATS Gymnastics, 14.600
2. Jake Martin, Oviedo, Fla./Orlando Metro, 14.400
3. Brian Knott, New York, N.Y./Chelsea Piers Gymnastics, 13.700