LOUISVILLE, KY - Yul Moldauer secured back-to-back victory at the 204 Winter Cup, becoming Winter Cup Champion for the second time in the past two years. This meet was import for those who were seeking a place on the national team, and earning international assignments and making an impression on the selection committee before the 2024 Paris games.

As night two unfolded, the all-around title was going to be between Shane Wiskus, who was  leading the pack after night one, closely followed by Yul Moldauer.

Updates on Injuries

During an on air interview John Roethlisberger revealed what was behind Paul Judah's withdrawal, citing discomfort in the elbow from a Yurchenko double pike block. A strategic move considering the rigorous season ahead. Additionally, we learned from Coach Mark WIlliams that OU freshman Colin Flores, suffered an ACL tear during his vault on night one.

All Around Title

The dynamics shifted as Yul Moldauer kicked off the competition on vault with a stuck landing. He then earned a impressive 15.4 on parallel bars—an 0.4  improvement from day one. Moldauer continued through the competition, mostly matching or exceeding his night one scores, picking up some more tenths on pommel with a much cleaner routine for a 13.75. He finished the day with a 85.30 which was the highest AA score recorded at the competition. Yul finished the competition with a combined two day total of 169.75.

Shane Wiskus was unable to match his night one scores, struggling on pommel horse and not able to find his landings on floor and vault, bringing his day two score to 82.60. His two day total was 197.45, earning him a spot once again on the US national team. Big Tricks

The competition was highlighted with some impressive skills, including two gymnasts performing triple backs, Kameron Nelson of Ohio State and junior gymnast Gage Kyle. Kameron Nelson earned a 14.0 for his night 2 floor exercise and would go onto win the vault title.

The Pommel Horse Battle

The battle for the pommel horse title came down to four contenders—Stephen Nedoroscik, Patrick Hoops, Brandon Ding, and Ignacio Yockers. While Brandon Dang earned with the highest score of the night 2 (14.85), it was not enough to surpass the consistent performances of Patrick Hoops who clinched the overall lead and secured a spot on the senior national team.

Back from Injury

Day two witnessed Brody Malone's stellar performance, earning a remarkable 14 on all three events and solidifying his place on the national team. His unexpected comeback from potential medical petition speculation surprised everyone, demonstrating his resilience. He stated in an interview with Neutral deductions, that he has already started to work on high bar discounts and his plan is to compete all around at the 2024 National Championships. 

Big Impressions 

Curran Phillips of Evo showcased consistency and improvement, particularly on parallel bars, earning scores that few gymnasts globally can match. A strong contender for the podium if he makes the Olympic team.

National Team members Following the conclusion of Winter Cup competition, USA Gymnastics named the 2024 Senior winter Men’s National. National Team members are listed below:

Fuzzy Benas — Richmond, Texas/University of Oklahoma

Jeremy Bischoff — Santa Clarita, Calif./Stanford University

Cameron Bock — Tustin, Calif./University of Michigan

Taylor Burkhart — Arvada, Colo./Stanford University

Asher Hong — Tomball, Texas/Stanford University

Patrick Hoopes — Lehi, Utah/U.S. Air Force Academy

Paul Juda — Deerfield, Ill./University of Michigan

Josh Karnes – Erie, Penn./Penn State

Riley Loos — Folsom, Calif./Stanford University

Brody Malone — Aragon, Ga./EVO Gymnastics

Yul Moldauer — Arvada, Colo./5280 Gymnastics

Stephen Nedoroscik — Worcester, Mass./EVO Gymnastics

Curran Phillips — Naperville, Ill./EVO Gymnastics

Fred Richard — Stoughton, Mass./University of Michigan

Colt Walker — Cedar Park, Texas/Stanford University

Donnell Whittenburg —Baltimore, Md./Salto Gymnastics Center

Shane Wiskus — Spring Park, Minn./EVO Gymnastics

Khoi Young — Bowie, Md./Stanford University

Senior Development Team<

Landen Blixt — Fowlerville, Mich./University of Michigan

Kai Uemura – Chicago, Ill./Lakeshore Academy of Art Gymnastics

Article by: Kensley Behel

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