Jonathan Horton and Joseph Hagerty
© John Cheng

 

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., Jan. 23, 2009 – 2008 Olympic team bronze-medalist Joseph Hagerty of Rio Rancho, N.M., and 2008 U.S. all-around champion David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill., are among the seven members of the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team scheduled to compete in the 2009 Winter Cup Challenge, Feb. 5 and 7, at the Las Vegas Sports Center in Las Vegas, Nev. Just two weeks after the Winter Cup Challenge, Hagerty and Sender will compete in the Tyson American Cup, Feb. 21 at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Ill.

2008 Olympic horizontal bar silver-medalist Jonathan Horton of Houston is expected to compete at the Winter Cup Challenge in a limited number of events while returning to competitive form after the Olympic Games. Fifteen gymnasts from the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team also will participate in the event.

“The 2009 Winter Cup Challenge is a great chance for our athletes to test out new skills and adjustments that are being made with the new FIG Code of Points,” said Steve Penny, president of USA Gymnastics. “With the dawn of the new quadrennium, this event is a wonderful place to get a first look at rising stars, as well as prepare returning veterans for the next four years.”

The senior men’s team will be re-named at the Winter Cup Challenge. The seven senior national team members in the field are listed below.

  • Guillermo Alvarez of Denver, Colo./Minnesota Gymnastics, competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, earning a third-place finish on pommel horse in the weighted, combined rankings from the Visa Championships and U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He competed in the 2006 and 2007 World Championships, finishing fourth in the team competition and floor exercise in 2007. Alvarez was a member of the bronze-medal team at the 2007 Pan Am Games, where he finished second in the floor exercise and third in the all-around. He finished third on floor exercise at the 2008 Toyota Cup in Japan.

  • Sean Golden of Camden, N.J./Houston Gymnastics Academy, also competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, finishing first on vault in the weighted, combined rankings from the Visa Championships and U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He is a three-time U.S. champion, having won the vault and still rings in 2005 and the vault in 2007. He was a member of the 2005 and 2007 World Championships Teams, and helped the U.S. men finish fourth in 2007. Golden was a member of the bronze-medal team at the 2007 Pan Am Games, where he finished second on the still rings.

  • Joseph Hagerty of Rio Rancho, N.M./U.S. Olympic Training Center, was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team for men’s gymnastics that earned the team bronze medal. He won the floor exercise and horizontal bar and finished second in the all-around in the weighted, combined rankings from the 2008 Visa Championships and 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. Hagerty claimed his first-career U.S. title at the 2008 Visa Championships by winning the horizontal bar. He is the 2007-08 Winter Cup Challenge horizontal bar champion. Hagerty also was a member of the bronze-medal team at the 2007 Pan Am Games.

  • Jonathan Horton of Houston, Texas/University of Oklahoma, earned the team bronze medal and the horizontal bar silver medal at the 2008 Olympic Games. In the weighted, combined rankings from the 2008 Visa Championships and 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, he was first in the all-around and placed second in the floor exercise and still rings. At the 2008 Visa Championships, he was second in the all-around, still rings and floor exercise. Horton was a member of the 2006 and 2007 World Championships Teams; he placed fourth in the all-around at the 2007 Worlds, as well as helped the team to a fourth-place finish. Horton is the 2006-07 Tyson American Cup champion.

  • Steven Legendre of Flower Mound, Texas/University of Oklahoma, won the floor exercise at the 2008 Visa Championships and finished third on floor exercise at the 2008 Winter Cup Challenge. He won 2008 NCAA titles in the team competition, floor exercise and vault. He was a member of the gold-medal team at the 2007 Junior Pan American Championships.

  • Tim McNeill of Falls Church, Va./University of California – Berkeley, competed in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials. He finished second on pommel horse at the 2008 Visa Championships. While competing for UC Berkeley, he earned five career NCAA titles, the most in school history: pommel horse in 2006-08 and parallel bars in 2007-08.

  • David Sender of Arlington Heights, Ill./Stanford University, is the 2008 U.S. all-around champion and a three-time U.S. vault titlist (2004, 2006 and 2008). At the 2008 Visa Championships, he not only won the all-around, but he also won the vault and earned a bronze medal in the floor exercise and horizontal bar. He was a member of the 2006 World Championships Team. Sender competed for Stanford University and tied on vault in 2007 and placed second in the team, still rings and vault in 2008 at the NCAA Championships.

Glen Ishino of Santa Ana, Calif./SCATS Gymnastics, and John Orozco of Bronx, N.Y./World Cup Gymnastics, the 2008 U.S. junior all-around champions in the 16-18 year-old and 14-15 year-old divisions, respectively, are among the 15 members of the U.S. Men’s Junior National Team participating in the Winter Cup Challenge. The other 16-18 year-old national team members are: Alexy Bilozertchev of Hilliard, Ohio/Unattached; Russell Dabritz of Rowley, Mass./University of Minnesota; Jacob Dalton of Sparks, Nev./Gymnastics Nevada; Edward Mesa of Cooper City, Fla./Universal Gymnastics; Yoshi Mori of Irvine, Calif./New Hope Academy of Gymnastics; and Alexander Naddour of Mesa, Calif./Arizona Flairs. Those on the 14-15 year-old squad are: Dylan Akers of Kingwood, Texas/Cypress Academy; Danell Leyva of Miami, Fla./Universal Gymnastics; C.J. Maestas of Corrales, N.M./Gold Cup Gymnastics; Maximilian Mayr of Miami, Fla./Universal Gymnastics; Samuel Mikulak of Newport Coast, Fla./SCATS Gymnastics; and Cameron Rogers of Charlotte, N.C./Weyandt’s Gymnastics. Sean Melton of Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro Gymnastics, a member of the 12-13 year-old junior national team, is also in the field.

The Winter Cup Challenge has two days of competition. Scores from both days of competition count toward the final rankings for the all-around and individual events. The qualification round on Feb. 5 consists of two sessions, each with approximately 43 athletes, beginning at 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. The top 42 gymnasts, based on the points ranking system approved by the Men’s Program Committee, will advance to the finals, which begin at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 7.

Tickets go on sale the morning of Feb. 5 at the Las Vegas Sports Center. One-day admission for all qualification sessions on Feb. 5 is $20 per person and $12 per child/student. The final session on Feb. 7 is $20 per person. An all-event pass with admission to all sessions, including the finals, may be purchased for $40 per adult and $30 per child/student. There is no reserved seating.

Seven gymnasts will be named to the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team based on the national team points ranking system from the Winter Cup Challenge, and one each will be selected by the Men’s Program Committee and men’s national team coordinator. The six members of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team for men’s gymnastics can petition for spots, and the Men’s Program Committee will name additional members to the senior national team if any Olympic positions are unused. The 15 gymnasts named to the team will comprise the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team until the 2009 Visa Championships in August.

2009 Winter Cup Challenge participants
By state, information shows name, hometown/club

Arizona
Alexander Naddour, Mesa, Ariz./Arizona Flairs

California
Kyle Brady, Salinas, Calif./UC Berkeley
Kyle Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif./UC Berkeley
Kyson Bunthuwong, El Cerrito, Calif./UC Berkeley
Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif./Stanford University
Pejman Ebrahimi, Encino, Calif./Ohio State University
Glen Ishino, Santa Ana, Calif./SCATS Gymnastics
Jeffrey Langenstein, San Carlos, Calif./San Mateo
Sam Mikulak, Newport Coast, Calif./SCATS Gymnastics
Yoshi Mori, Irvine, Calif./New Hope Academy of Gymnastics
Sho Nakamori, Albany, Calif./Stanford University
Michael Partizpanyan, Glendale, Calif./Glendale YMCA
Steven Spencer, Pleasanton, Calif./Ohio State University
Greg Ter-Zakhariants, Campbell, Calif./Stanford University

Colorado
Guillermo Alvarez, Denver, Colo./Minnesota Gymnastics
Kit Beikmann, Brighton, Colo./University of Minnesota
Matt Hicks, Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado Training Center
Spencer Johnson, Colorado Springs, Colo./Colorado Training Center

Florida
Kerry Adderly, Orlando, Fla./LVSA
Wyatt Aycock, Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro Gymnastics
Chris Cameron, Winter Haven, Fla./University of Michigan
Vladislav Klurman, North Miami Beach, Fla./Penn State University
Seung Tai Lee, Orlando, Fla./Ohio State University
Danell Leyva, Miami, Fla./Universal Gymnastics
Maximilian Mayr, Miami, Fla./Universal Gymnastics
Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro Gymnastics
Edward Mesa, Cooper City, Fla./Universal Gymnastics
Paul Woodward, Tallahassee, Fla./University of Michigan

Georgia
Phil Goldberg, Dalton, Ga./University of Michigan
Justin Laury, Marietta, Ga./HGA

Illinois
Ross Bradley, Naperville, Ill./University of Illinois
Alex Buscaglia, Oak Brook, Ill./Stanford University
Thomas Kelley, Libertyville, Ill./University of Michigan
Ryan Lieberman, Lake Forest, Ill./Stanford University
Craig Padera, Winfield, Ill./University of Illinois
Roger Pasek, Sleepy Hollow, Ill./University of Illinois
Devin Reagan, Libertyville, Ill./University of Illinois
David Sender, Arlington Heights, Ill./Stanford University

Indiana
Ryan McCarthy, Zionsville, Ind./University of Michigan

Kansas
Bryant Hadden, Wichita, Kan./Stanford University

Maryland
John Vogtman, Baltimore, Md./Temple University
Mario West, Laurel, Md./Preston Gymnastics

Massachusetts
Russell Dabritz, Rowley, Mass./University of Minnesota
R.J. Heflin, Storeham, Mass./HGA
Chris Lung, Lexington, Mass./University of Illinois
Mel Anton Santander, Southborough, Mass./University of Michigan

Nebraska
Timothy Schmidt, Blair, Neb./University of Nebraska

Nevada
Jake Dalton, Sparks, Nev./Gymnastics Nevada

New Jersey
Sean Golden, Camden, N.J./Houston Gymnastics Academy
Brian Liscovitz, Hillsborough, N.J./University of Illinois
Austin Phillips, Mahwah, N.J./University of Illinois
Ralph Rosso, Morganville, N.J./University of Michigan
Brandon Wynn, Voorhees, N.J./Ohio State University

New Mexico
Joseph Hagerty, Rio Rancho, N.M./USOTC
C.J. Maestas, Corrales, N.M./Gold Cup Gymnastics
D.J. Repp, Albuquerque, N.M./University of Minnesota
Edward Umphrey, Albuquerque, N.M./University of Michigan

New York
John Orozco, Bronx, N.Y./World Cup Gymnastics
Daniel Ribeiro, Chestnut Ridge, N.Y./University of Illinois
Evan Roth, North Woodmere, N.Y./UC Berkeley
Paul Ruggeri III, Manlius, N.Y./University of Illinois

North Carolina
Cameron Rogers, Charlotte, N.C./Weyandt’s Gymnastics

Ohio
Alexy Bilozertchev, Hilliard, Ohio/Unattached
Matt Chelberg, Athens, Ohio/Hocking Valley
Miguel Pineda, Galloway, Ohio/Penn State University

Pennsylvania
Adam Al Rokh, Bensalem, Pa./Temple University
Anthony Beck, Catasauqua, Pa./LVSA
Eddie Crane, Allentown, Pa./LVSA
Eddie Hay, Butler, Pa./Ohio State University
Patrick McLaughlin, Shrewsbury, Pa./Temple University
Mycal Ross, Allentown, Pa./Orlando Metro Gymnastics
Sean Senters, Center Valley, Pa./Parkettes
Nyika White, Stroudsburg, Pa./International Gymnastics

Tennessee
Jake Bateman, Kingsport, Tenn./Ohio State University

Texas
Dylan Akers, Kingwood, Texas/Cypress Academy
Chris Brooks, Houston, Texas/University of Oklahoma
Cameron Deer, Houston, Texas/Houston Gymnastics Academy
Tim Gentry, Plano, Texas/Stanford University
Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas/University of Oklahoma
Steven Legendre, Flower Mound, Texas/University of Oklahoma
Tyler Mizoguchi, Houston, Texas/University of Illinois
Philip Onorato, Plano, Texas/Ohio State University
Chris Stehl, Richmond, Texas/Cypress Gymnastics
Cole Storer, Plano, Texas/University of Minnesota

Virginia
Tim McNeill, Falls Church, Va./UC Berkeley