INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., July 29, 2010 – Defending World and U.S. all-around champion Bridget Sloan of Pittsboro, Ind., and 2009 World all-around silver-medalist and Pacific Rim Championships all-around champion Rebecca Bross of Plano, Texas, headline the women’s field for the 2010 Visa Championships, Aug. 10-14, in Hartford, Conn. The 69-gymnast field, which features both veterans and rising stars in the junior and senior divisions, includes 2008 Olympic team silver-medalist and seven-time world-medalist Alicia Sacramone of Winchester, Mass., who won the balance beam and vault titles at the 2010 CoverGirl Classic in her first competition since the Beijing Olympic Games. Performances at the Visa Championships will determine the members of the 2010 U.S. Women’s Junior and Senior National Teams.
Members of the national team who are competing in the senior field are: 2010 CoverGirl Classic all-around champion Mattie Larson of Los Angeles, Calif.; Cincinnati Gymnastics’ Amanda Jetter of Milford, Ohio, the 2010 CoverGirl Classic all-around silver medalist, and Cassie Whitcomb of Cincinnati, Ohio, the uneven bars and floor exercise bronze medalist at the CoverGirl Classic; University of Florida commits Mackenzie Caquatto of Naperville, Ill., who earned two silver and one bronze medal at the CoverGirl Classic, and Kytra Hunter of Frederick, Md., who won the floor exercise title at the CoverGirl Classic; Kaitlyn Clark of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; Alexandra Raisman of Needham, Mass., the 2010 Tyson American Cup silver medalist; and Samantha Shapiro of Los Angeles, who returned to competition at the 2010 CoverGirl Classic. Members of the junior national team who are competing as seniors this year are: Bridgette Caquatto of Naperville; Briley Casanova of Plano, Texas; Sophina DeJesus of Temecula, Calif.; and Morgan Smith of Clearmont, Fla.
Leading the junior division will be 2008 U.S. junior all-around champion Jordyn Wieber of Dewitt, Mich., who since returning to competition in 2010 has won the all-around titles at the Pacific Rim Championships and CoverGirl Classic. Joining Wieber is an impressive field of juniors that includes junior national team members: 2009 U.S. and Junior Pan American Championships all-around champion Kyla Ross of Aliso Viejo, Calif.; 2010 CoverGirl Classic bars bronze-medalist Madison Kocian of Dallas; 2010 CoverGirl Classic junior all-around silver-medalist Katelyn Ohashi of Plano; and Junior Pan American Championships team gold-medalist Sabrina Vega of Carmel, N.Y.
The Visa Championships determine the U.S. champions and the national team for each discipline for both the junior and senior elite levels in four disciplines. NBC Sports and Universal Sports will broadcast and webcast the action from the men’s and women’s gymnastics competitions.
The total women’s field includes 24 seniors and 45 juniors from21 states. The women are scheduled to compete on Aug. 12 and Aug. 14, with the junior competition at 1 p.m. each day and the seniors at 7 p.m. on Aug. 12 and 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 14. The junior and senior women qualified for the Visa Championships in two ways: as a member of the current national team, or recording an all-around score of 54 or higher at a qualifying event. For complete event information, please go to www.usagym.org/visa.
Tickets are on sale now and available through Ticketmaster.com.
The USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show, held in conjunction with the Visa Championships, will be conducted at the Connecticut Convention Center. The USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show is the annual gathering of professional members that offers educational and business sessions, a large exhibitor’s hall and other business and educational opportunities.
2010 Visa Championships Women’s Competitive Field
Listed by alphabetically by state
*As of July 29; subject to change
Arizona
Stefani Catour, Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Lights Gymnastics (junior)
Mykayla Skinner, Gilbert, Ariz./Desert Lights Gymnastics (junior)
California
Desi Borgese, Los Gatos, Calif./Airborne Gymnastics Training Center (junior)
Kaitlyn Clark, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Precision Gymnastics (senior)
Sophina DeJesus, Temecula, Calif./SCEGA Gymnastics (senior)
Megan Jimenez, Temecula, Calif./Precision Gymnastics (junior)
Mattie Larson, Los Angeles, Calif./All Olympia AOGC (senior)
McKayla Maroney, Laguna Niguel, Calif./All Olympia AOGC (junior)
Jaclyn McCartin, West Covina, Calif./Charter Oak Gymnastics Gliders (senior)
Hallie Mossett, Los Angeles, Calif./West Coast Elite Gymnastics (junior)
Kyla Ross, Aliso Viejo, Calif./Gym-Max Gymnastics (junior)
Samantha Shapiro, Los Angeles, Calif./All Olympia AOGC (senior)
Devin Sheridan, Temecula, Calif./SCEGA Gymnastics (junior)
Jessica Wang, Chino Hills, Calif./Precision Gymnastics (junior)
Colorado
Claire Hammen, Loveland, Colo./GK Gymnastics (junior)
Brandie Jay, Ft Collins, Colo./GK Gymnastics (senior)
Florida
Lauren Marinez, Orlando, Fla./Orlando Metro Gymnastics (junior)
Morgan Smith, Clearmont, Fla./Brandy Johnson’s Global Gymnastics (senior)
Illinois
MacKenzie Caquatto, Naperville, Ill./Legacy Elite Gymnastics (senior)
Bridgette Caquatto, Naperville, Ill./Legacy Elite Gymnastics (senior)
Vanessa Zamarripa, Shiloh, Ill./UCLA Gymnastics (senior)
Indiana
Bridget Sloan, Pittsboro, Ind./Sharp’s Gymnastics Academy (senior)
Iowa
Keely McNeer, West Des Moines, Iowa/Chow’s Gymnastics & Dance Institute (junior)
Kansas
Maddie Desch, Lenexa, Kan./Great American GymnasticsExpress (junior)
Napualani Hall, Olathe, Kan./Kansas Gymnastics & Cheer Center (junior)
Louisiana
Rheagan Courville, Baton Rouge, La./Gymnasiana Inc. (senior)
Maryland
Kytra Hunter, Frederick, Md./Hill’s Gymnastics (senior)
Massachusetts
Talia Chiarelli, Lexington, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics (junior)
Alexandra Raisman, Needham, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics (senior)
Alicia Sacramone, Winchester, Mass./Brestyan’s American Gymnastics (senior)
Michigan
Alyssa Shermetaro, Rochester Hills, Mich./Olympia Gymnastics Academy (junior)
Jordyn Wieber, DeWitt, Mich./Gedderts Twistars USA (junior)
Grace Williams, Linden, Mich./Gedderts Twistars USA (junior)
Claire Boyce, Lee’s Summit, Mo./Texas Dreams Gymnastics (junior)
Missouri
Brenna Dowell, Odessa, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express (junior)
Sarah Finnegan, Lake Latawanna, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express (junior)
New Hampshire
Georgia Dabritz, Newburyport, Mass./Ace Gymnastics Inc. (senior)
New Jersey
Kellie Wanamaker, Washington, N.J./Parkettes National Gymnastics Center (junior)
New York
Sabrina Vega, Carmel, N.Y./Dynamic Gymnastics (junior)
Ohio
Amelia Hundley, Hamilton, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics (junior)
Amanda Jetter, Milford, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics (senior)
Brianna Brown, West Chester, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics (junior)
Lexie Priessman, Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics (junior)
Cassandra Whitcomb, Cincinnati, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics (senior)
Pennsylvania
Lauren Beers, Warren Center, Pa./Southern Tier Gymnastics (senior)
Annette Miele, Easton, Pa./Parkettes National Gymnastics Center (senior)
Elizabeth Price, Coopersburg, Pa./Parkettes National Gymnastics Center (junior)
Tennessee
Mary (Dare) Maxwell, Germantown, Tenn./Texas Dreams Gymnastics (junior)
Texas
Kennedy Baker, Flower ;Mound, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics (junior)
Alyssa Baumann, Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (junior)
Mackenzie Brannan, Austin, Texas/Capital Gymnastics Super Center (junior)
Rebecca Bross, Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (senior)
Briley Casanova, Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (senior)
Rachel Daum, Katy, Texas/Stars Gymnastics Training Center-Hous (junior)
Chelsea Davis, Lakeway, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics (senior)
Peyton Ernst, Lewisville, Texas/Texas Dreams Gymnastics (junior)
Ericha Fassbender, Katy, Texas/Stars Gymnastics Training Center-Hous (junior)
Ariana Guerra, League City, Texas/Stars Gymnastics Training Center-Hous (junior)
Madison Kocian, Dallas, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (junior)
Elizabeth LeDuc, Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (junior)
Sophia Lee, Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (senior)
Grace McLaughlin, Allen, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (junior)
Abigail Milliet, Denton, Texas/Denton Gymnastics Academy (junior)
Katelyn Ohashi, Plano, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (junior)
Samantha Partyka, Katy, Texas/Champions Gymnastics (junior)
Emma Sibson, Allen, Texas/Zenith Elite Gymnastics Acad (junior)
Braie Speed, Schertz, Texas/Olympic Hills Gymnastics (junior)
McKenzie Wofford, McKinney, Texas/WOGA Gymnastics (junior)
Virginia
Gabrielle Douglas, Virginia Beach, Va./Excalibur Gymnastics (junior)