LAS VEGAS, Nev. – David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill./Stanford University, posted an all-around score of 89.450 to finish first in the qualification round of the 2007 Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas, Nev. He enters the finals on Feb. 10 with a narrow lead over Alexander Artemev of Morrison, Colo./Team Chevron, and Sean Townsend of Dickinson, Texas/HGA/GymMasters, who finished second and third in the all-around with scores of 88.750 and 88.100, respectively.
Based on the results and a points-ranking system, the top 42 gymnasts from the qualification round advanced to the finals, scheduled for 7 p.m. Pacific Time on Feb. 10. Fans across the country can watch action from the finals live via a free Web cast available through www.usa-gymnastics.org. Scores from both days of competition count toward the final rankings for the all-around and individual events.
Other top finishers included Guillermo Alvarez of Denver/Team Chevron, Todd Thornton of Houston/Team Chevron, and Raj Bhavsar of Houston/Team Chevron.
Tickets are on sale at the Las Vegas Sports Center. One-day admission for the final round is $20 per person. There is no reserved seating. The second annual New Skills Challenge will follow the finals competition on Saturday.
Seven gymnasts will be added to the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team following the Winter Cup Challenge. Three athletes will be added to the team based on the national team points system rank order, while the final four gymnasts will be selected from the Winter Cup Challenge participants and petitioned athletes by the Men’s Program Committee. These seven, along with the seven members of the 2006 World Championships Team who already qualified for the team, will comprise the Senior Men’s National Team until the 2007 Visa Championships in August.