USA Gymnastics recognizes its 2023 annual award winners

INDIANAPOLIS (December 21, 2023) – Following a 2023 season full of successes and accomplishments across all disciplines, USA Gymnastics recognized its annual award winners. Most recipients were honored at the 2023 USA Gymnastics Championships in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in June and the 2023 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, California, in August.

All 2023 awardees are listed by discipline below.

• Athletes of the Year/Sportsperson of the year: Senior men’s pair Angel Felix (Moreno Valley, Calif.) and Braiden McDougall (Riverside, Calif.) were honored as the Athletes of the Year. The two-time World champions and nine-time U.S. champions secured three World Cup medals during the season before capping it with U.S. title in June. The duo also made history in 2023, becoming the first U.S. men’s pair to win World Cup Series gold. McDougall was also voted as the 2023 Sportsperson of the Year.
• Coach of the Year: Mindi Katsov, owner and head coach of Mid America Acro Tumbling, was selected as this year’s Coach of the Year for acrobatic gymnastics. She is the head coach of the reigning U.S. senior women’s pair champions Mo Arthur (Rolla, Mo./Mid America Acro Tumbling) and Ariana Katsov (Owensville, Mo./Mid America Acro Tumbling).
• Glenn Sundby Award: After claiming U.S. all-around, balance and dynamic gold and team bronze, Mo Arthur and Ariana Katsov were recognized as the Glenn Sundby Award winners. The award is given to the pair or group with an outstanding overall performance at the USA Gymnastics Championships and is named after the co-founder and former Vice President of USA Gymnastics, Glenn Sundby.
• Janet VonBargen Award: Carisa Laughon received the 2023 Janet VonBargen Award, presented to a judge for outstanding volunteer service and dedication to the U.S. Acrobatic Program. Laughon is a Category 1 FIG Brevet judge and has been a vital part of the acrobatic community. The award is selected by the Acrobatic National Technical Committee.
• Star Service Award: Amy Arthur was recognized as this year’s Star Service Award winner for her service to the U.S. Acrobatic Program. In addition to serving in countless ways, from acting as a chaperone during international assignments to volunteering at domestic events, Arthur brings a positive attitude to everything she does for the Acro Program.

• Athlete of the Year: 2023 U.S. horizontal bar champion and all-around bronze medalist Fred Richard (Stoughton, Mass./University of Michigan) was selected as this year’s Athlete of the Year for the U.S. men’s artistic program. Throughout the year, Richard continued to add medal after medal to his accolades, including a 2023 Winter Cup all-around silver, 2023 NCAA all-around, parallel bars and high bar gold, and team and floor exercise silver. After receiving the award in August, Richard went on to win all-around and team bronze medals at the 2023 Artistic World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.
• Sportsperson of the Year: Named at the Sportsperson of the year was Olympian and U.S. men’s National Team veteran Yul Moldauer (Arvada, Colo./5280 Gymnastics). Bringing years of experience and success to this year’s National Team, Moldauer was chosen by his peers to receive the award in recognition of his relentless support and enthusiasm for his teammates and the sport of men’s gymnastics.
• Coach of the Year: After receiving the honor in 2022, Stanford men’s gymnastics head coach Thom Glielmi repeated as the USAG Coach of the year in 2023. Currently, seven Stanford athletes and two alumni represent the country on the men’s National Team. Glielmi also coached the Stanford team to their fourth-consecutive NCAA team title.
• Development Program Coach of the Year: Felippe Barros Mendonça of Roswell Gymnastics was named as the 2023 Development Program Coach of the Year at USA Gymnastics’ National Championships. A former Brazilian national champion, Mendonca has coached various athletes including past Junior National Team members Chase Davenport-Mills (Johns Creek, Ga.) and Toby Liang (Roswell, Ga.).
• Frank J. Cumiskey Service Award: Men’s Oklahoma State Chairman Ben Fox was honored as the Frank J. Cumiskey Service Award. Given to an individual for meaningful and selfless service to USA Gymnastics’ Development Programs, Fox was an integral part of bringing the 2023 Development Program National Championships to Oklahoma City. Fox is a former Brevet judge and currently holds many influential positions in the gymnastics community.
• Dusty Ritter Visionary Award: Former men’s program director Mas Watanabe received the 2023 Dusty Ritter Visionary Award, presented to a person who demonstrates exceptional foresight, leadership, and advocacy for the U.S. Men’s Program. Soon after arriving in the U.S., Watanabe began contributing to gymnastics in the country in big ways, including writing the compulsories for the U.S. Gymnastics Federation’s first Junior Olympic program in 1973.

• Athlete of the Year: Named as the 2023 Rhythmic Athlete of the year was Olympian and eight-time U.S. champion Evita Griskenas (Orland Park, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center). Before securing a 2024 Olympic berth at the 2023 Pan American Games in November, Griskenas had won four World Cup medals and three medals at the Pan American Championships earlier in the year.
• Sportsperson of the Year: Olympian Lili Mizuno (Northbrook, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center) was selected as this year’s Sportsperson of the Year. In 2023, Mizuno claimed the U.S. all-around, ball and clubs titles, and was a member of the World Championships and Pan American Games teams.
• Coaches of the Year: Both Natalia Klimouk of North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center in Illinois, and Jenya Tkachenko of Burlo Gymnastics in California were awarded as the Rhythmic Coaches of the Year in 2023. Klimouk has coached many elite gymnasts, including Olympians Evita Griskenas and Lili Mizuno, while Tkachenko is the coach of junior Rin Keys (Porter Ranch, Calif./Burlo Gymnastics), who in 2023 became the first U.S. gymnast to medal at a FIG Rhythmic World Championships.
• Star Service Award: Named as the 2023 Rhythmic Star Service Award winner was Rebecca Sereda. Sereda has been a leader in the rhythmic community, serving as an athlete representative on the Board of Directors and the Rhythmic Athlete Selection Committee in addition to being a Brevet Judge and serving on the Rhythmic Program Committee. As an athlete, Sereda was 10-time National Champion, a World all-around finalist in 2014 and was a member of the US Rhythmic National Team for seven years (2008-2014).

• Athletes of the Year: U.S. athletes Ruben Padilla (Bluffdale, Utah/Wasatch Trampoline & Tumbling), Kaden Brown (Herriman, Utah/Wasatch Trampoline & Tumbling) and Jessica Stevens (Ellicott City, Md./Fairland Gymnastics) each shared the 2023 Athlete of the Year honor. Each of the three athletes won national championship medals in June, with Padilla taking the double mini gold, Brown earning tumbling gold and Stevens claiming individual trampoline silver. In November, Padilla, Brown and Stevens all contributed to the first-ever World team gold medal for the U.S. and the 2023 T&T World Championships in Birmingham, England, and Stevens’ performance in Birmingham earned the U.S. a quota spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
• Sportsperson of the Year: Three-time U.S. tumbling champion Miah Bruns (Crete, Ill./World Champions Centre) earned the title of 2023 Sportsperson of the Year. Bruns won her third-consecutive tumbling gold at this year’s USA Gymnastics Championships and became a World team champion in November.
• Coach of the Year: Dmitri Poliaroush (trampoline), Becky Brown (tumbling) and Sven Nielsen (double mini trampoline) were all selected as Coaches of the Year for Trampoline & Tumbling. Poliaroush is the owner and head coach of Trampoline & Tumbling Express in Lafayette, La., while Brown is the owner and head coach of Wasatch Trampoline & Tumbling in Draper, Utah, where Nielsen is the trampoline head coach. The coaching trio has coached several athletes including 2023 World and U.S. synchronized trampoline champions Nicole Ahsinger (Lafayette, La.) and Sarah Webster (Lafayette, La.), two-time World double mini champion Ruben Padilla, and 2023 World tumbling silver medalist Kaden Brown.
• Star Service Award: Christine LaFollette was named the 2023 Trampoline & Tumbling Star Service Award winner. Throughout her career, she has served on the Development Committee and the Education Committee for USAG’s T&T program, and as a State and Regional Chair. LaFollette is currently an FIG Brevet judge and continues to be impactful in the trampoline and tumbling community.

• Athlete of the Year: Reigning U.S. vault champion and World team gold medalist Joscelyn Roberson (Texarkana, Texas/World Champions Centre) was named the 2023 Athlete of the Year after an elite season in which she won 10 international medals, seven of them gold, and four medals in U.S. competition.
• Sportsperson of the Year: Nola Matthews (Gilroy, Calif./Airborne Gymnastics Training Center) was voted Sportsperson of the Year by her fellow athletes. The 2023 Winter Cup all-around bronze medalist has proven herself a supportive teammate and an outstanding athlete in the women’s artistic program.
• Coach of the Year: A coach with the U.S. National Team and at World Champions Centre, Laurent Landi was recognized as the 2023 Coach of the Year. With his wife Cecile, the Landis coach an impressive group of elite athletes that includes Olympians Simone Biles and Jordan Chiles, World Championships team gold medalist Joscelyn Roberson, and up-and-comers such as Zoe Miller (Spring, Texas) and Tiana Sumanasekera (Pleasanton, Calif.).
• Connie Maloney Dedication to Sport Award: Connie Maloney received the inaugural Connie Maloney Dedication to Sport Award, presented to an individual for their extensive and selfless contributions to the advancement of the USAG Women’s Program. Maloney has been a USA Gymnastics employee for 33 years, aiding the Women’s Program in multiple capacities from administrative work to judging. The award will be presented annually at the Women’s Program Awards Banquet during USAG’s National Congress.
• Development Program Club of the Year: World Class Gymnastics in Newport News, Va. was voted as the 2023 Development Program Club of the Year. The honor was voted on by the Women’s Development Program Committee.
• Star Service Award: Voted on by the Women’s Program National Office personnel, Deb Kornegay was honored as the Star Service Award winner in 2023. Kornegay is a part of the Alabama NAWGJ (National Association of Women Gymnastics Judges) chapter and was a former USAG Regional Administrative Committee Chair for Region 8. Kornegay was recognized for going above and beyond with her service as a volunteer to the Women’s Program.