The Definitive U.S. Classic Junior Guide

/ July 21, 2017

I love new quads. This is a time in the sport when 50 billion new kids pop up on the elite scene, and we’re like, who are you?! Where did you come from?! What can you do?!

Looking at the roster for the juniors who will compete at the U.S. Classic next week is so overwhelming. 50 kids, and so many of them are first-time elite qualifiers this year. Aside from the obvious few, how do we know who to keep an eye on?

Don’t worry. We’re currently prepping our previews to give you the details on those who could make a big impression this summer. Over the next week we’ll break this gigantic group down into various preview posts with videos and how we think they’ll do in Hoffman Estates. but for now, we’ve created the definitive guide to every single junior who will make an appearance, including who they are, what they’ve done, and what you should know about their best skills and events.

Note: As of July 21, Corinne Bunagan, Emily Lee, and Jacqueline Moran are no longer listed on the start list.

CIENA ALIPIO
. Age 13
Hometown San Jose, CA
Gym West Valley Gymnastics
Experience Won the silver medal in the all-around and the gold on beam at Hopes Championships in both 2015 and 2016
2017 Scores 51.950 (American Classic)
50.000 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Beam and floor are the clear standout routines for Ciena.
SYDNEY BARROS
Age 12
Hometown Woodstock, GA
Gym Texas Dreams Gymnastics
Experience Tied for second all-around at last year’s Hopes Championships
2017 Scores N/A
What to Watch Sydney is pretty balanced, but probably beam if I had to pick one.
ANNIE BEARD
Age 13
Hometown Dallas, TX
Gym Texas Dreams Gymnastics
Experience J.O. national all-around champion in the Junior A division in 2016
2017 Scores 53.500 (American Classic)
51.550 (Parkettes Qualifier)
What to Watch Annie has a DTY on vault and fabulous skills on beam, though she’s a joy to watch pretty much anywhere.
NIKKI BECKWITH
Age 14
Hometown Westerville, OH
Gym Buckeye Gymnastics
Experience Competed Hopes in 2014-2015, and qualified to J.O. nationals this year
2017 Scores 44.400 (American Classic)
50.250 (KPAC Cup Qualifier)
What to Watch I think I enjoy Nikki’s floor the most, but it really depends on what she hits at a given meet.
LOVE BIRT
Age 11
Hometown Wyoming, DE
Gym First State Gymnastics
Experience Missed qualifying last year, but won both of her elite qualifiers in 2017 and also competed at J.O. nationals
2017 Scores 50.500 (American Classic)
49.550 (Parkettes Qualifier)
48.750 (KPAC Cup Qualifier)
What to Watch Love was a level 7 only two years ago, so while she might not be a top junior this year, she’s climbing the ranks SUPER quickly. I really enjoy her on beam!
CAEL BIXLER
Age 15
Hometown Palmyra, PA
Gym Prestige Gymnastics
Experience Finished 28th at last year’s U.S. Classic, missing nationals by a tenth of a point
2017 Scores 48.050 (American Classic)
51.350 (Parkettes Qualifier)
49.700 (KPAC Cup Qualifier)
47.400 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Cael only vaults a Yurchenko full, but it’s pretty much always super clean and solid.
JORDAN BOWERS
Age 14
Hometown Lincoln, NE
Gym Solid Rock Gymnastics
Experience Finished 14th at P&G Championships last year, her first season as a junior elite
2017 Scores 51.650 (American Classic)
What to Watch Jordan is pretty consistent across the board, but she’s been improving a lot on bars.
CORINNE BUNAGAN
Age 14
Hometown Ramsey, NJ
Gym ENA Paramus
Experience Three-time J.O. qualifier, winning the silver medal in the Junior C division this year.
2017 Scores 50.600 (Parkettes Qualifier)
What to Watch Corinne has lots of potential and strong presentation on beam and floor when she hits.
BROOKE BUTLER
Age 15
Hometown Wilton Manors, FL
Gym Midwest Gymnastics Center
Experience Bronze medal at J.O. nationals last year
2017 Scores 50.500 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch I’m a big fan of Brooke’s powerful tumbling on floor.
AUDREY DAVIS
Age 15
Hometown Frisco, TX
Gym WOGA
Experience 23rd at last year’s U.S. Clasisc
2017 Scores 52.900 (American Classic)
53.200 (WOGA Classic)
What to Watch Audrey is a super clean gymnast with bars and beam her standout events.
KAYLA DiCELLO
Age 13
Hometown Boyds, MD
Gym Hill’s Gymnastics
Experience Qualified to J.O. nationals in 2016, which she followed up with a 4th-place finish at Hopes Championships a few days later
2017 Scores 52.850 (American Classic)
50.401 (International Gymnix)
52.300 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch I’m a fan of watching Kayla’s solid tumbling on floor.
OLIVIA DUNNE
Age 14
Hometown Hillsdale, NJ
Gym ENA Paramus
Experience Named to the national team this year and placed 6th all-around at the City of Jesolo Trophy; has competed at nationals twice and this will be her fourth U.S. Classic appearance
2017 Scores 53.600 (City of Jesolo Trophy)
What to Watch From the youngest U.S. Classic competitor in 2014 to making her international debut this year in her final junior season, Olivia has consistently shown brilliant work on beam and floor.
KARA EAKER
Age 14
Hometown Grain Valley, MO
Gym GAGE
Experience Qualified to J.O. nationals last year where she won the silver medal on beam in her age division
2017 Scores 51.550 (American Classic)
53.200 (Parkettes Qualifier)
What to Watch It’s all about beam for Kara.
ADDISON FATTA
Age 12
Hometown Wrightsville, PA
Gym Prestige Gymnastics
Experience Bronze medalist at Hopes Championships last year
2017 Scores 50.150 (American Classic)
52.200 (Parkettes Qualifier)
46.050 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Beam is where Addison has shown the most promise, though she’s pretty balanced across all four.
GABBIE GALLENTINE
Age 14
Hometown Iron Station, NC
Gym Everest Gymnastics
Experience Finished 3rd all-around at J.O. nationals and 4th all-around at the Nastia Liukin Cup this year
2017 Scores 47.450 (American Classic)
50.550 (KPAC Cup Qualifier)
What to Watch Gabbie, whose mom was an elite gymnast in the early 90s, has lovely lines and a great foundation on bars.
ANAPAULA GUTIERREZ
Age 14
Hometown Highlands Ranch, CO
Gym TIGAR
Experience Won the junior title at Mexican national championships this year, and has made back-to-back J.O. nationals appearances
2017 Scores 50.566 (Mexican Championships)
49.350 (Parkettes Qualifier)
48.950 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Anapaula, who will compete alongside twin sister Jimena (see below!), tends to be at her best on floor.
JIMENA GUTIERREZ
Age 14
Hometown Highlands Ranch, CO
Gym TIGAR
Experience Silver medalist behind twin sister Anapaula at Mexican national championships in May
2017 Scores 47.650 (American Classic)
50.033 (Mexican Championships)
50.400 (Parkettes Qualifier)
47.450 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Like her sister, Jimena has also consistently shown great work on floor when she hits. #JustTwinThings
HANNAH HAGLE
Age 13
Hometown Chireno, TX
Gym Texas East Gymnastics
Experience Placed 5th all-around at Hopes Championships last year
2017 Scores N/A
What to Watch Hannah is a very tidy gymnast on bars and beam.
MAEVE HAHN
Age Turns 14 on July 29, the day of the meet!
Hometown Lake Wylie, SC
Gym First in Flight
Experience Finished 40th at the U.S. Classic last year
2017 Scores 47.600 (American Classic)
50.350 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Maeve has a pretty even spread across the board in terms of skills, but I enjoy her beam the most.
SELENA HARRIS
Age 13
Hometown Henderson, NV
Gym Gymcats Gymnastics
Experience Went from 43rd at J.O. nationals in 2016 to winning the bronze medal this year
2017 Scores 51.750 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch I love Selena’s combo of superb power and clean lines on vault, where she does a Yurchenko 1½.
OLIVIA HOLLINGSWORTH
Age 15
Hometown Seabrook, TX
Gym Stars Gymnastics – Houston
Experience Finished 38th at the U.S. Classic last year, and was 9th all-around at Hopes Championships in 2015
2017 Scores 51.700 (American Classic)
47.800 (Parkettes Qualifier)
50.450 (KPAC Cup Qualifier)
46.300 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch With a double arabian, tucked full-in, and 1½ through to 2½, floor is where Olivia really shines.
KAYTLYN JOHNSON
Age 14
Hometown Lantana, TX
Gym Denton Gymnastics Academy
Experience Bronze all-around medalist at J.O. nationals this year
2017 Scores 49.000 (American Classic)
50.700 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch It’s all about vault and floor for Kaytlyn. She’s full of power while staying clean.
MADELEINE JOHNSTON
Age 15
Hometown Boyds, MD
Gym Hill’s Gymnastics
Experience Won the silver medal on vault and finished 9th all-around at P&G Championships last year
2017 Scores 52.450 (American Classic)
50.234 (International Gymnix)
What to Watch Madeleine is another kid who stands out most on vault and floor. She had a DTY last year, which helps considerably with her all-around scores.
SHILESE JONES
Age Turns 15 on July 26
Hometown Westerville, OH
Gym Buckeye Gymnastics
Experience Bronze medals on vault and floor while finishing 7th all-around at P&G Championships last year, with three elite-level nationals under her belt
2017 Scores 52.350 (American Classic)
What to Watch Shilese is full of unlimited power. She has a huge DTY on vault, and she’s kind of famous for her eponymous floor skill in the J.O. code of points, a 1½ twisting double tuck.
CARINA JORDAN
Age 14
Hometown Millbrook, AL
Gym Prattville YMCA
Experience Qualified to J.O. nationals in 2016
2017 Scores 47.900 (American Classic)
48.700 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Again…power, power, power. Carina unveiled a DTY at the American Classic, and I’ve seen her stick a double front on floor, though her power can be a little too much at times, which leads to some consistency struggles.
ADELINE KENLIN
Age 14
Hometown Iowa City, IA
Gym Iowa Gym Nest
Experience Named to the national team this year and placed 4th all-around at the City of Jesolo Trophy, though she’s had bad luck domestically, missing her nationals score in 2015 and leaving midway through the competition last year due to injury
2017 Scores 55.900 (City of Jesolo Trophy)
What to Watch Adeline has been known for her fabulous flair and big skills on beam since the second she entered elite, and she’s made some major improvement on bars in the past year.
SYDNEY KHO
Age 12
Hometown Rosemead, CA
Gym Winner’s Academy of Gymnastics
Experience Finished 12th at J.O. nationals in May
2017 Scores 49.400 (American Classic)
48.450 (Parkettes Qualifier)
50.000 (KPAC Cup Qualifier)
48.100 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Her difficulty is a little low at the moment, but she shows the most promise and consistency on bars so far.
ELIANA ‘ELLIE’ LAZZARI
Age 14
Hometown Wheaton, IL
Gym GymNasti
Experience Finished 29th at the U.S. Classic last year, missing nationals by only a couple of tenths
2017 Scores 54.800 (Parkettes Qualifier)
What to Watch Ellie will be a local kid at the U.S. Classic, so expect the crowd to go crazy for her, especially as she unleashes her DTY and big skills on floor. She’s my bet for a junior dark horse this year.
EMILY LEE
Age 14
Hometown Los Gatos, CA
Gym West Valley Gymnastics
Experience Finished 20th all-around at P&G Championships in 2016
2017 Scores N/A
What to Watch It’s been over a year since we last saw Emily in elite, but at nationals in 2016 she really stood out to me on beam.
SUNISA LEE
Age 14
Hometown St. Paul, MN
Gym Midwest Gymnastics
Experience Named to the national team this year and competed at International Gymnix, where she placed 14th; last year, was 10th all-around at P&G Championships after winning the the Hopes national title in 2015
2017 Scores 50.201 (International Gymnix)
What to Watch Everyone knows Sunisa for the passion and style she brings to her performances on beam and floor, and this year she upped her bars game with a huge Nabieva to pak release combo!
LILLIAN ‘LILLY’ LIPPEATT
Age 12
Hometown Mason, OH
Gym Cincinnati Gymnastics
Experience Qualified to J.O. nationals last year and finished 7th at the Nastia Liukin Cup this March
2017 Scores 51.850 (American Classic)
What to Watch Lilly shows tremendous promise on beam, going for some really tricky combinations like a front aerial to switch side and a side aerial to leap series.
LAUREN LITTLE
Age 13
Hometown Mooresville, NC
Gym Everest Gymnastics
Experience Finished 23rd all-around and fifth on vault at P&G Championships last year, earning a trip to a national team training camp in the fall
2017 Scores N/A
What to Watch Lauren is full of power, with a big DTY on vault and superb skills on floor.
EMMA MALABUYO
Age 14
Hometown Flower Mound, TX
Gym Texas Dreams Gymnastics
Experience Current national team member who competed internationally twice this year, winning four individual medals including bronze all-around and gold on floor at the City of Jesolo Trophy
2017 Scores 56.275 (City of Jesolo Trophy)
54.135 (International Gymnix)
What to Watch Pretty much everything. Emma’s DTY is so clean, her beam is fluid and jam-packed with skills, and she has one of the best floor routines in the world right now among juniors and seniors. She’ll be one of the top challengers for the all-around title in Hoffman Estates.
JAYMES ‘JAY JAY’ MARSHALL
Age 14
Hometown Greeley, CO
Gym TIGAR
Experience Won the silver all-around medal at the American Classic last year and qualified to nationals but couldn’t contend in the all-around due to injury.
2017 Scores N/A
What to Watch Jay Jay casually began throwing an Amanar at age 12, no big deal, but injuries over the past year have kept her from being at her full, incredible potential on vault.
GRACE McCALLUM
Age 14
Hometown Isanti, MN
Gym Twin City Twisters
Experience Beam and floor champion as well as bronze all-around medalist at J.O. nationals this May
2017 Scores 52.650 (American Classic)
52.600 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Grace kind of came out of nowhere this year with a fabulous DTY and excellent performances on floor, where she shows off superb twisting on her triple full and front double full. She also has a super cool under the beam mount!
KONNOR McCLAIN
Age 12
Hometown Cross Lanes, WV
Gym Revolution Gymnastics
Experience Nearly swept Hopes Championships in 2016, winning the all-around title in addition to gold medals on everything but floor, where she won the silver
2017 Scores 49.850 (American Classic)
52.900 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Konnor is a baby beam goddess.
DEIAH-MARIE MOODY
Age 14
Hometown Plano, TX
Gym WOGA
Experience Finished 35th all-around at the 2016 U.S. Classic
2017 Scores 47.750 (Parkettes Qualifier)
What to Watch Deiah has a great foundation on bars, where she has clean lines and generally shows the most promise.
JACQUELYN ‘JACQUIE’ MORAN
Age  13
Hometown Soquel, CA
Gym San Mateo Gymnastics
Experience Competed at last year’s Hopes Championships, placing 7th all-around, and also qualified to J.O. nationals in both 2016 and 2017, winning silver on bars and bronze on floor this year
2017 Scores 48.700 (American Classic)
54.000 (Parkettes Qualifier)
What to Watch Beam is definitely where I’ve seen Jacquie do her best work. She has very tidy skills, especially on big elements like her side aerial to layout stepout!
BRENNA NEAULT
Age 13
Hometown Alta Loma, CA
Gym Precision Gymnastics
Experience Qualified to J.O. regionals in 2016 and to the Hopes Championships in 2015
2017 Scores 49.650 (American Classic)
50.200 (KPAC Cup Qualifier)
What to Watch We haven’t seen a ton of Brenna at the elite level, but we can already tell beam is going to be a standout event for her.
TIENNA NGUYEN
Age 15
Hometown Allen, TX
Gym Zenith Elite Gymnastics
Experience First qualified elite in 2015, and has competed internationally three times with her club, winning the junior all-around title at last year’s Turnkunst International in Germany
2017 Scores  48.650 (WOGA Classic)
49.550 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Tienna is lovely to watch on floor, bringing great performance quality to her routines.
MAILE O’KEEFE
Age 15
Hometown Las Vegas, NV
Gym Salcianu Elite Academy
Experience Current national team member who competed at P&G Championships three years in a row, going from 17th all-around in 2015 to winning the junior national title a year later; also won the all-around title at Gymnix in March and then won the silver medal at the City of Jesolo Trophy in April
2017 Scores 56.900 (City of Jesolo Trophy)
55.934 (International Gymnix)
What to Watch Maile is the one to beat this summer, especially with Gabby Perea out with a minor injury at the moment. She’s great on all four events, but her super difficult and fabulous beam is what puts her on the map.
GABBY PEREA
.screen-shot-2017-04-02-at-9-14-02-am.png Age 15
Hometown Geneva, IL
Gym Legacy Elite Gymnastics
Experience Current national team member who won the bronze medals at the U.S. Classic and P&G Championships in 2016; internationally, this year she won the silver all-around medal at Gymnix while getting gold on bars, beam, and floor, and she followed that up with the City of Jesolo Trophy all-around, vault, and bars titles
2017 Scores 57.225 (City of Jesolo Trophy)
55.700 (International Gymnix)
What to Watch After an ankle injury sustained at camp a couple of months ago, Gabby was originally not slated to compete at the U.S. Classic, but she’s feeling better and will make her return on bars! Bars is generally her best event, so we’re really looking forward to her there, and we can’t wait to see her back in the all-around soon — she currently has the highest all-around score posted in 2017 among juniors and seniors.
ANYA PILGRIM
Age  12
Hometown Germantown, MD
Gym Hill’s Gymnastics
Experience Was sixth all-around at last year’s Hopes Championships as a level 9, and swept her first and only level 10 meet last November before qualifying elite
2017 Scores 54.000 (American Classic)
51.868 (International Gymnix)
51.350 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch So. Much. Potential. The kind of kid you’ll see winning a national title a couple of years down the line. Anya is great on all four events, but a brand-new DTY and huge difficulty on bars will make her stand out among juniors several years older than her.
SIENNA ROBINSON
Age 11
Hometown Las Vegas, NV
Gym Brown’s Gymnastics
Experience Finished 6th all-around at Hopes Championships last year
2017 Scores 50.800 (American Classic)
50.300 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Sienna loves competing bars, and it shows in how well she does there…but she’s a little more advanced skill-wise on her other events, and I love watching her perform on floor. Sienna is a bit of a daredevil, and has trained a quad-twisting double layout into the pit, so I’m sure she’ll eventually bring huge skills to the table.
ABIGAIL SCANLON
Age 14
Hometown Sterling, VA
Gym Capital Gymnastics
Experience Placed 35th all-around at the U.S. Classic last year
2017 Scores 39.650 (American Classic)
51.600 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Beam and floor are generally where you can see Abigail at her best, though at the recent American Classic she had a fall there that caused her to end the routine early, earning just a 1.8 total. When she hits, though, she’s fab!
JAFREE SCOTT
Age 13
Hometown Independence, MO
Gym GAGE
Experience Finished 6th all-around at J.O. nationals this year, a couple of steps up from 8th place last year
2017 Scores 50.950 (American Classic)
50.100 (Parkettes Qualifier)
What to Watch JaFree can DANCE. The opening sequence in her floor routine is fantastic, and then she really brings it home with her opening arabian double front. As a fan of jazzy big band routines, I’m obsessed with this kid.
BROOKE SITER
Age 14
Hometown Mountainside, NJ
Gym North Stars Gymnastics
Experience Qualified to J.O. nationals in 2016 after placing 6th all-around at regionals
2017 Scores 48.450 (American Classic)
50.000 (KPAC Cup Qualifier)
What to Watch Brooke is still super new to elite, but she picked up skills pretty quickly on beam, and performs them very well.
VICTORIA ‘VIKA’ SMIRNOV
Age 12
Hometown Hickory, NC
Gym Shooting Stars Gymnastics
Experience Competed at Hopes Championships in 2015 and 2016, placing 4th on beam and 5th on floor last year
2017 Scores 50.600 (American Classic)
46.400 (Parkettes Qualifier)
What to Watch Another one with a fantastic beam! Victoria does some very nice work on her other three events, including showing off some incredible choreo on floor, but then her skill level and ability skyrockets on beam. If she hits, she could reach a 14, which is great for her age.
MORGAN TREVOR
Age 13
Hometown Allen, TX
Gym WOGA
Experience Finished 8th all-around at Hopes Championships last year and in May, was 7th all-around at J.O. nationals
2017 Scores 48.650 (American Classic)
50.100 (Parkettes Qualifier)
What to Watch In true WOGA form, Morgan shows the most potential on bars, and her beam is pretty snazzy as well.
MADELYN WILLIAMS
Age 14
Hometown Vacaville, CA
Gym San Mateo Gymnastics
Experience Qualified to J.O. nationals in 2015 but missed most of the 2016 season
2017 Scores 52.400 (American Classic)
52.250 (Parkettes Qualifier)
48.400 (Brestyan’s Qualifier)
What to Watch Madelyn is goooorgeous on bars. Beautiful lines, perfect handstands, inbars, pak to stalder to van Leeuwen, floaty double layout…I could watch her all day.
LEANNE WONG
Age 13
Hometown Overland Park, KS
Gym GAGE
Experience 2017 J.O. national all-around champion, also winning the silver medals on vault, bars, and beam
2017 Scores 54.500 (American Classic)
51.900 (Parkettes Qualifier)
What to Watch Everything. Powerful DTY, insane extension and lines on bars and beam, big skills, super clean tumbling and lovely dance…Leanne is a total package kid.

Article by Lauren Hopkins

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19 thoughts on “The Definitive U.S. Classic Junior Guide”

  3. Right there with you, haileyhudson. However, I’m more freaked out by the fact that of the kids I *do* know, so many of them are only 13 or 14. It feels as though I’ve been hearing about them for years…which we have, thanks to Lauren! 🙂 Seriously, though, if most of these kids can stay healthy…we’re sooooo loaded for Tokyo, it’s not even funny. I bet college coaches are super excited too.

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        • I know, right? The lowest scores from these kids are basically the best scores from many other countries! It’s insane…I always think of international juniors when I see a 48 AA, like, oh wow, she’s so good for her country! And then I see a 48 AA in the US and I’m like “omg so low.” But literally, the weakest U.S. junior could basically be a star in many small programs. It’s insane to think about.

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  6. Omg yes Leanne Wong!!! Also Anya Pilgrim and I feel a little bad because I know almost everyone on this list. I don’t know if I never noticed before but the junior talent this year is INSANE.

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  9. Gabby Perea is on the roster now! Looks like she’ll be joining the rest of the Junior National Team competing on the Senior session (and seems like she was slotted into the spot vacated by Victoria Nguyen’s withdrawal to keep the rotations more even)

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  13. Insane to find this in 2022, and find the reigning Olympic AA champion, another Olympic medalist, 2 Olympic alternates, world AA and EF medalists and NCAA standouts here!

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