© Team Photo

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 22, 2019 – Faith Torrez of Kenosha, Wis./Legacy Elite, and Ciena Alipio of San Jose, Calif./West Valley Gymnastics, won the senior and junior all-around titles, respectively, at the 2019 American Classic at the Jon M. Huntsman Center on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City this weekend.

For the seniors, Torrez won the all-around with her 54.850 total. Her event scores were: 14.250, vault; 13.100, uneven bars; 14.000, balance beam; and 13.500, floor exercise. Emily Lee of Los Gatos, Calif./West Valley Gymnastics, was second in the all-around with a 52.550, and Shania Adams of Plain City, Ohio/Future Gymnastics Academy, was third at 51.650. The event gold medalists were: vault, Torrez, 14.250; uneven bars, Adams, 13.250; balance beam, Sloane Blakely of Frisco, Texas/WOGA, 14.500; and floor exercise, Lee, 13.800.

In the junior division, Alipio won the junior all-around with a 53.800. Karis German of Spring, Texas/World Champions Centre, was second at 53.350, and Anya Pilgrim of Germantown, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics, took third at 52.900. The event scores for Alipio were: vault, 13.650; uneven bars, 13.650; balance beam, 14.050; and floor exercise, 12.450. The junior event champions were: vault, German, 14.300; uneven bars, Alipio, 13.650; balance beam, Mya Witte of Greenacres, Fla./Genie’s Gymnastics, 14.100; and floor exercise, German and Lyden Saltness of Forest Lake of Minn./Midwest Gymnastics Center, 13.550.

The competition was a qualifier for the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in Kansas City, Mo., in August.

Women’s gymnastics has several ways athletes can qualify to the U.S. Championships, including by earning a minimum of 52.000 for seniors or a 51.000 for juniors in the all-around at either the American Classic or GK U.S. Classic. The GK U.S. Classic, scheduled for July 20 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., is the final opportunity for women to advance to the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. Senior athletes can also qualify by earning a three-event score of 39.750 or a two-event score of 27.000 at either of these two events.

Team members and alternates from the 2018 U.S. World Championships Team automatically qualified to the U.S. Gymnastics Championships. In addition to the U.S. and American Classics, national team members can earn a berth to the U.S. Championships by achieving the qualification score at a national team verification or international assignment.

Background information

  • Jon M. Huntsman Center. The Jon M. Huntsman Arena on the University of Utah campus is one of Salt Lake City’s premier sports and entertainment venues. Home of the university’s Runnin’ Utes basketball team, as well as the Red Rocks women’s gymnastics team, the venue has hosted a number of different sporting events, concerts, commencement exercises and other special events. The venue hosted the 1979 NCAA Final Four Tournament and the 1989 Western Athletic Conference. It is the largest arena in the Pac-12 conference system and in 2019, celebrates its 50th anniversary.
  • USA Gymnastics. Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. The organization is committed to creating a culture that encourages and supports its athletes and focuses on its highest priority, the safety and well-being of the athletes. USA Gymnastics has taken specific, concrete steps to strengthen its athlete safety policies and procedures. Former gymnast and business executive Li Li Leung is the new president and chief executive officer of USA Gymnastics. The organization’s 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, visit usagym.org.