Mikulak wins four event medals, Benas claims Junior All-Around Title at 2020 Winter Cup Challenge

LAS VEGAS, Nev., Feb. 23, 2020 – Sam Mikulak of Newport Beach, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center won four individual event medals, including one gold, Saturday at the 2020 Winter Cup Challenge at the Westgate Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nev. Fuzzy Benas of Richmond, Texas/EnRich Gymnastics, earned the junior all-around title. Thursday, Mikulak took home the senior all-around title.

The athletes who were named to the U.S. Senior Men’s Team through results from the 2020 Winter Cup Challenge are listed below in alphabetical order. The top six all-around athletes from day one of competition were automatically named to the team. The remaining athletes were selected by the Men’s Program Committee, who considered Winter Cup results as well as submitted athlete petitions.
  • Allan Bower, Chandler, Arizona/University of Oklahoma
  • Grant Breckenridge, Libertyville, Ill./Stanford University
  • Trevor Howard, Columbus, Ohio/Ohio State University
  • Paul Juda, Deerfield, Ill./University of Michigan
  • Brody Malone, Summerville, Ga./Stanford University
  • Sam Mikulak, Newport Beach, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center
  • Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J./Stanford University
  • Yul Moldauer, Arvada, Colo./University of Oklahoma
  • Stephen Nedoroscik, Worcester, Mass./Pennsylvania State University
  • Colin Van Wicklen, Magnolia, Texas/University of Oklahoma
  • Donnell Whittenburg, Colorado Springs, Colo./U.S.O.P.T.C. Gymnastics
  • Shane Wiskus, Spring Park, Minn./University of Minnesota
All six event champions are as follows: Gage Dyer of Yukon, Okla./University of Oklahoma, floor exercise; Alec Yoder of Indianapolis/Ohio State University, pommel horse; Alex Diab, Glen Ellyn, Ill./University of Illinois, still rings; Yul Moldauer of Arvada, Colo./University of Oklahoma, vault; Mikulak, parallel bars; and Colin Van Wicklen of Magnolia, Texas/University of Oklahoma, horizontal bar.
  • Floor exercise: 1. Dyer, 29.050 (14.400/14.650); 2. Mikulak, 28.800 (14.600/14.200); 3. Cameron Bock, Tustin, Calif./University of Michigan, 28.500 (14.350/14.150)
  • Pommel horse: 1. Yoder, 30.000 (14.700/15.300); 2. Bower, 29.000 (14.550/14.450); 3. Mikulak, 28.850 (14.500/14.350)
  • Still rings: 1. Diab, 29.450 (14.600/14.850); 2. Marvin Kimble, Milwaukee, Wis./Salto, 28.800 (14.200/14.600); 3. Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla./Ohio State University, 28.350 (14.400/13.950)
  • Vault: 1. Moldauer, 28.800 (14.300/14.500); 2T. Eddie Penev, Rochester, N.Y./Stanford University, 28.750 (14.250/14.500); 2T. Wiskus, 28.750 (14.450/14.300)
  • Parallel bars: 1. Mikulak, 29.400 (15.350/14.050); 2. Breckenridge, 29.050 (14.600/14.450); 3. Moldauer, 28.200.700 (14.100/14.100)
  • Horizontal bar: 1. Van Wicklen, 27.600 (13.950/13.650); 2. Mikulak, 27.550 (14.350/13.200); 3. Juda, 27.500 (13.650/13.850)
In the junior division, Benas won the all-around title with a two-day total of 157.850. Asher Hong of Tomball, Texas/Cypress ,finished in second at 156.650, and Fred Richard of Stoughton, Mass./MEGA MA, was third at 155.800. Benas’ two-day event totals were: floor exercise, 26.900; pommel horse, 25.750; still rings, 27.500; vault, 28.050; parallel bars, 25.050; and horizontal bar, 24.600.

The junior individual event medalists are below.
  • Floor exercise: 1. Matt Cormier Milton, Mass./MEGA MA, 27.000 (13.600/13.400); 2. Richard, 26.950 (13.700/13.250); 3. Benas, 26.900 (13.250/13.650)
  • Pommel horse: 1. Zachary Nunez, Houston, Texas/Cypress, 27.050 (13.450/13.600); 2. Hong 26.350 (13.100/13.250); 3. Ian Lasic-Ellis, Dover, Mass./MEGA MA, 25.900 (12.950/12.950)
  • Still rings: 1. Benas, 27.500 (13.850/13.650); 2. Lasic-Ellis, 26.650 (13.350/13.300); 3. Hong, 26.350 (12.900/13.450)
  • Vault: 1. Brandon Nguyen, Elk Grove, Calif./EGA, 28.900 (14.200/14.700); 2. Benas, 28.050 (13.950/14.100); 3. Cormier, 27.800 (14.050/13.750)
  • Parallel bars: 1. Nunez, 26.350 (13.250/13.100); 2. Logan Myers, Morrison, Colo./ 5280 Gymnastics, 26.050 (13.000/13.050); 3. Cameron Lee, Frisco, Texas/WOGA, 26.000 (13.200/12.800)
  • Horizontal bar: 1. Richard, 25.650 (12.400/13.250); 2. Steven Lukasik, Lutz, Fla./La Fleur’s, 25.400 (12.600/13.250); 3. Myers, 25.200 (12.550/12.650)
For the senior division, all-around rankings were determined on the first day of competition and individual event champions were determined via a combined two-day score. For the junior division, all-around ranking and individual event champions were determined via a combined two-day score.