Six members of 2014 World Championships bronze-medal team are expected to compete at 2015 Winter Cup Challenge

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INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 28, 2015 – Six of the seven members of the U.S. Men’s Team that won the team bronze medal at the 2014 World Championships in Nanning, China, are expected to compete at next month’s Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas. Competition runs Feb. 19-21 and will be held in the Riviera Hotel & Casino’s Royale Pavilion. The members of the World Championships Team who are in the field are: Jake Dalton of Reno, Nev./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Oklahoma), Danell Leyva of Miami, Fla./Team Hilton HHonors (Universal Gymnastics); Sam Mikulak of Corona del Mar, Calif./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Michigan); John Orozco of The Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (U.S. Olympic Training Center); Paul Ruggeri III of Manlius, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (U.S. Olympic Training Center), alternate; and Donnell Whittenburg of Baltimore, Md./Team Hilton HHonors (U.S. Olympic Training Center).


At the 2014 Worlds, Leyva also earned the parallel bars silver medal, and Dalton brought home the vault bronze.


All five of the members of the 2012 U.S. Olympian Men’s Team are competing: Dalton; Jonathan Horton of Houston /Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics); Leyva; Mikulak; and Orozco. Leyva captured the Olympic all-around bronze medal. The two 2012 Olympic alternates in the field are Chris Brooks of Houston/Team Hilton HHonors (Cypress Gymnastics), and Steven Legendre of Port Jefferson, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors (University of Oklahoma).


Thirteen members of the senior national team are expected to compete: Brooks; Dalton; Horton; Marvin Kimble of Milwaukee, Wis./Swiss Turners; Legendre; Leyva; CJ Maestas of Corrales, N.M./University of Illinois; Sean Melton of Orlando, Fla./Ohio State University; Mikulak; Akash Modi of Morganville, N.J./Stanford University; Orozco; Ruggeri; and Whittenburg.


2014 Youth Olympic all-around bronze-medalist Alec Yoder of Indianapolis/InterActive Academy, headlines the list of junior national team members in the 86-man field: Levi Anderson of Houston /Cypress Academy; Bobby Baker of Lemont, Ill./University of Illinois; Grant Breckenridge of Libertyville, Ill./Buffalo Grove Gymnastics Center; Tristan Burke of Royse City, Texas/WOGA Frisco; Fabian DeLuna of Chicago/Vitaly Scherbo School of Gymnastics; Alex Diab of Glen Ellyn, Ill./Premier Gymnastics; Hunter Justus of Houston/University of Oklahoma; Jordan King of The Woodlands, Texas/Cypress Academy; Anthony McCallum of Columbia, S.C./U.S. Olympic Training Center; Marty Strech of Fountain Valley, Calif./University of Michigan; and Kiwan Watts of Richmond, Va./Above The Bar.


Performances at the 2015 Winter Cup Challenge will help determine the 15 men who will comprise the U.S. Men’s Senior National Team through the 2015 P&G Gymnastics Championships in Indianapolis Aug. 13-16. The six members of the 2014 World Championships squad, plus the alternate, retain their spots on the national team. The remaining eight spots will be determined based on the following criteria: the top three ranked all-around athletes who are not already on the senior national team; two based on the National Team Points System; two athletes selected by the Men’s Program Committee; and one selected by the national team coordinator.


The Winter Cup competition schedule is: preliminary rounds, Feb. 19 – 1 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.; and final round, Feb. 21 at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $25 for Feb. 19 (both sessions) and Feb. 21 (finals), with an all-event pass for $50 (which also includes access to the Black Jack Invitational). Tickets may be purchased on site on the afternoon of Feb. 18 and on both competition days. The Winter Cup format has junior and senior gymnasts competing in the same field.


The top 42 gymnasts, according to the Men’s Program Committee’s points ranking system, will advance to the final competition, along with the top three gymnasts on each apparatus. The all-around and individual event champions will be determined via a combined two-day score. For information on the points ranking system used for advancement to the final round, as well as the one for determining the national team, click here.


Athlete roster for 2015 Winter Cup Challenge
(Alphabetical by state, then last name)


Arizona
Allan Bower, Mesa, Ariz./University of Oklahoma
Stewart MacDonald, Phoenix, Ariz./Sun Devil Gymnastics


California
Donothan Bailey, Lake Forest, Calif./University of California, Berkeley
Cameron Bock, Tustin, Calif./SCATS Gymnastics
Adrian de los Angeles, Los Angeles, Calif./University of Michigan
Joshua Dixon, Los Gatos, Calif./Team Hilton HHonors
Jesse Glenn, Porter Ranch, Calif./U.S. Military Academy
Christian Kalustian, Gold River, Calif./Elevate Gymnastics Academy
Steven Lacombe, Mission Viejo, Calif./University of California, Berkeley
Sam Mikulak, Corona del Mar, Calif./Team Hilton HHonors
Alec Robin, Calabasas, Calif./University of Oklahoma
Marty Strech, Fountain Valley, Calif./University of Michigan
Kevin Wolting, Laguna Hills, Calif./University of California, Berkeley


Colorado
Drew Burton, Elizabeth, Colo./Stanford University
Cutter Fugett, Boulder, Colo./5280 Gymnastics
Nick Gaudlip, Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S. Air Force Academy
Yul Moldauer, Arvada, Colo./5280 Gymnastics
Jordan Valdez, Louisville, Colo./University of Illinois


Connecticut
Shaun Herzog, Manchester, Conn./Daggett Gymnastics


Florida
Gared Chapman, Casselberry, Fla./U.S. Air Force Academy
Marcos Gatinho, Miami, Fla./Universal Gymnastics
Danell Leyva, Miami, Fla./Team Hilton HHonors
Mario Lubian, Miami, Fla./Universal Gymnastics
Jake Martin, Oviedo, Fla./Ohio State University
Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla./Ohio State University


Illinois
Maxim Andryushchenko, Arlington Heights, Ill./Lake Shore Academy
Bobby Baker, Lemont, Ill./University of Illinois
Danny Berardini, Lake Forest, Ill./University of Oklahoma
Jack Boyle, Naperville, Ill./University of Iowa
Logan Bradley, Naperville, Ill./University of Illinois
Grant Breckenridge, Libertyville, Ill./Buffalo Grove Gymnastics Center
Fabian DeLuna, Chicago, Ill./VSSG
Alex Diab, Glen Ellyn, Ill./Premier Gymnastics
Jason Gaides, Palos Park, Ill./University of Illinois – Chicago
Craig Hernandez, Libertyville, Ill./Pennsylvania State University
Austin Hodges, Lincolnshire, Ill./University of Iowa
Matthew Loochtan, Lincolnshire, Ill./University of Iowa
Mike Wilner, Buffalo Grove, Ill./University of Illinois
Josh Zeal, Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove Gymnastics Center


Indiana
Ellis Mannon, Indianapolis, Ind./University of Minnesota
Anton Stephenson, Fishers, Ind./DeVeau’s Gymnastics
Alec Yoder, Indianapolis, Ind./InterActive Academy


Massachusetts
Addison Chung, Medfield, Mass./NESA
Peter Daggett, E. Longmeadow, Mass./Daggett Gymnastics
Eric Klein, W. Brookfield, Mass./Daggett Gymnastics


Maryland
Donnell Whittenburg, Baltimore, Md./Team Hilton HHonors


Michigan
Stacey Ervin, Taylor, Mich./University of Michigan
Ryan Wangler, Savage, Minn./Classic Gymnastics


Minnesota
Shane Wiskus, Spring Park, Minn./MHG


New Jersey
Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J./Stanford University
Mike Levy, Albuquerque, N.M./Stanford University
CJ Maestas, Corrales, N.M./University of Illinois


New York
Brian Knott, New York, N.Y./Stanford University
Steven Legendre, Port Jefferson, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors
John Orozco, Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors
Paul Ruggeri III, Manlius, N.Y./Team Hilton HHonors
Jonathan Zirna, Buffalo, N.Y./Springfield College


Nevada
Emyre Cole, Las Vegas, Nev./Go For It USA
Jacob Dalton, Sparks, Nev./Team Hilton HHonors


Ohio
Denis Aurelius, Plain City, Ohio/U.S. Air Force Academy
Michael Burns, Baltimore, Ohio/Hocking Valley Gymnastics
Trevor Howard, Columbus, Ohio/Pennsylvania State University
Nicholas Hunter, Canfield, Ohio/University of Michigan
Alex Johnson, Marysville, Ohio/Ohio State University
Drew Moling, Canal Winchester, Ohio/Ohio State University


Oklahoma
Jeffrey Becker, Tulsa, Okla./Cypress Academy


Pennsylvania
Sean Senters, Center Valley, Pa./Stanford University


South Carolina
Anthony McCallum, Columbia, S.C./U.S. Olympic Training Center


Texas
Levi Anderson, Houston, Texas/Cypress Academy
Chris Brooks, Houston, Texas/Team Hilton HHonors
Tristan Burke, Royse City, Texas/WOGA Frisco
Cole Casanova, Dallas, Texas/WOGA Frisco
Davis Grooms, Katy, Texas/Champions Gymnastics
Jonathan Horton, Houston, Texas/Team Hilton HHonors
Hunter Justus, Houston, Texas/University of Oklahoma
Jordan King, The Woodlands, Texas/Cypress Academy
Kyle King, Mesquite, Texas/University of Nebraska
Ryan Sheppard, Murphy, Texas/Stanford University
Colin Van Wicklen, Magnolia, Texas/University of Oklahoma
Matthew Wenske, Houston, Texas/Cypress Academy
Alexander Wilson, Houston, Texas/Ohio State University
Kiwan Watts, Richmond, Va./Above The Bar


Wisconsin
Dmitri Belanovski, West Allis, Wis./University of Michigan
Vitali Kan, West Allis, Wis./Swiss Turners
Marvin Kimble, Milwaukee, Wis./Swiss Turners
Robert Neff, Brookfield, Wis./Stanford University