Updated! Louisville Loading! Who To Watch At The 2025 Winter Cup

Louisville Loading! Top U.S. Athletes Head To 2025 Winter Cup

By Nate Salsman and Christy Sandmaier

What’s At Stake:

Winter Cup
The 2025 Winter Cup is a qualifying event to the 2025 U.S. Gymnastics Championships. The Winter Cup will also culminate in the selection of the Men’s Senior National Team to be named following the competition.

Elite Team Cup
Formerly the Elite Regional Championships, first held in 2014, and now referred to as the Elite Team Cup, this premier event features nine men’s Regional Teams, each consisting of six junior elite gymnasts. Team scores for the Elite Team Cup will be based on five athletes competing on each event with the top four scores on each event counting.

Nastia Liukin Cup

Schedule + Links To Watch (subject to change)

Friday, February 21

• Senior Men Day 1 – 6 p.m. ET

Saturday, February 22

• Elite Team Cup – 1 p.m. ET
• Senior Women – 6 p.m. ET

Sunday, February 23

• Junior Women – 9 a.m. ET
• Nastia Liukin Cup – 12:30 p.m. ET
• Junior Men and Senior Men Day 2 – 4:30 p.m. ET

The Roster

updated 2-21-25

Who We’re Watching!

FOR THE WOMEN

Hezly Rivera

Rivera had a whirlwind of a year in 2024, from winning an Olympic gold medal to post Olympic stardom, she has been going non stop! Despite the busy schedule, Rivera is slated to compete at Winter Cup! We expect Rivera to bring her signature beauty to her bar and beam routines, but this time with the confidence and poise of being an Olympic Champion. Check out our in-depth cover story on Rivera coming this week to Insidegym.com!

Jayla Hang

Despite narrowly missing out on competing at Olympic Trials, Jayla Hang made a statement in 2024! She won the All-Around at the 2024 Pacific Rim Championships and helped team USA win gold! Hang is known for her huge skills such as her back handspring + back tuck full on beam! In the fall, Hang also committed to compete for the University of Florida! She’s been keeping busy in training, posting many new skills on social media! Her new bar routine includes a Downie + Pak combo and she’ll certainly be one to watch in 2025!

Simone Rose

After finishing tenth in the All-Around at the Xfinity U.S. Championships in 2024, Simone Rose qualified for her first Olympic Trials. Rose is also committed to The University of Florida and she’s been working major upgrades such as a double twisting Yurchenko on vault, new bar connections and a whip + double tuck + front punch on floor! Rose always brings her signature personality and performance quality in her floor routines which always leaves us with a smile.

Zoey Molomo 

Molomo’s eleventh place finish at Championships launched her to her first Olympic Trials! At the 2024 Xfinity U.S. Championships, she earned a solid 13.650 on beam and displayed great execution in all of her gymnastics! Molomo SCRAPES the ceiling on her sky-high Yurchenko 1.5 on vault! That vault will fit right in at UCLA where she recently committed! She was also present at the most recent National Team Camp and is ready to take on 2025! Look for our interview with Zoey coming soon to InsideGym.com

Tiana Sumanasekera

Tiana Sumanasekera also had a massive 2024! She finished third on floor at Championships and ninth in the All-Around to qualify for Trials. At Olympic Trials, she finished third on beam and eighth in the All-Around and was named to the Olympic team as an alternate! After her Olympic run, she committed to UCLA and has been prepping for 2025! Sumanasekera is a rock on beam and her floor choreography is always a highlight! Time for more amazing gymnastics in 2025!

Eveylynn Lowe 

Olympic Trials qualifier Eveylynn Lowe had a breakthrough 2024! At Championships in 2024, she finished sixth on beam with a high score of 13.750! She brings difficult skills like her side aerial + layout stepout on beam! Most recently, Lowe committed to compete for the University of Oklahoma in college! She also was present at the most recent National Team Training Camp! We cannot wait to see what Evey has in store this year!

Other Standouts!

Michigan commit Myli Lew is a standout on bars and beam! An injury took her out of competition last year, but she will be back at Winter Cup. Florida commit and Olympic Trials competitor Dulcy Caylor will also be back this year. Watch out especially for her powerful double-twisting Yurchenko on vault and her form on every event! UCLA commit Nola Matthews will also be in Louisville and we’re so excited to see her on bars, and floor especially where her choreography is like no other! Also be on the lookout for CaMarah Williams, Kelise Woolford, Kieryn Finnell, and Claire Pease.

Update: Addy Fulcher has withdrawn due to injury.

Inside Gymnastics will continue to provide roster updates as we receive them!

FOR THE MEN

Frederick Richard 

The Olympic Medalist. 2023 was stellar for Frederick Richard as he went primetime winning bronze (Team and All-Around) at his first World Championships, becoming both a star and leader for Team USA along the way. Now, he’s a seasoned pro and a 2024 Olympic team bronze medalist, breaking barriers and fueling dreams. But that was only the beginning for Richard, who wants gold in 2028. Easing back into the 2025 NCAA season for Michigan, Richard was stellar on high bar against Illinois scoring a 14.700, and taking the title on the event. The 2025 Winter Cup will officially mark the start of Richard’s Road to LA.

Colt Walker

Building all the way back. After a stellar 2022 season, Colt Walker missed the majority of the 2023 NCAA season due to injury. The Stanford fifth year, who roared back in 2024 where he was once again part of Stanford’s National Championship team, won the 2024 Nissen-Emery Award and captured the bronze medal on parallel bars at the 2024 U.S. Championships, arguably his strongest event. He placed 10th at the 2024 Olympic Trials and will be looking to make his case early in Louisville as a key contributor to the U.S. team once again.

Kameron Nelson

The Triple Back. One of three team captains for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Kameron Nelson looks better than ever so far this season, and he’s also made a little history along the way  becoming the first gymnast to ever perform two triple backs in one floor routine – a triple pike and a triple tuck! These incredible skills led him to a 13.800 and helped him win the event title at the West Point Open to kick off his 2025 NCAA season. Nelson, the 2024 Winter Cup and 2023 U.S. vault champion, and 2023 Winter Cup floor and vault champion, is ready for a huge 2025 on the national and (hopefully) international scene, starting at Winter Cup.

Alex Diab

King of the Rings. When it comes to the rings, 2020 Olympic alternate Alex Diab is still the master! With superb difficulty, strength and control, Diab qualified for finals on rings in both World Cup events he entered in 2022. He’s the 2024 U.S. Champion, and the 2023 and 2024 Winter Cup Champion on the event. Diab has the skills to score big on the international scene and we’re excited to see him back and making some noise!

Patrick Hoopes 

The (other) Horse Guy. Patrick Hoopes will be the first to tell you he’s a specialist. “I’m a horse guy,” the Air Force Cadet told us in an interview last year. “I’ve learned in college to have a very, let’s say realistic, view of my talents, and the more I trained on horse, the better I became.” Better is a bit of an understatement. This season, Hoopes became the first to score above a 15.0 on PH (15.150). If Team USA continues looking for a specialist on PH to add to its roster, Hoopes, who competed at the 2024 Olympic Trials, remains one hundred percent key to the conversation.

Parker Thackston

Speaking of Pommel Horse guys, add Parker Thackston to your list! The Ohio State junior was recently named Big Ten Specialist of the Week for the second time this season, and the fourth time in his career, earning his fourth win (14.500) in four total meets this season on the pommel horse, to take the crown against No. 1 Oklahoma. He’s also contributing to the Buckeyes’ team score high bar and has quickly become one to watch.

Taylor Burkhart

Stanford Senior Taylor Burkhart delivered an unforgettable performance for Stanford at the Stanford Open including posting nation’s top all-around score of the season that week with an incredible 83.900, a career-high, a career-high on pommel horse (14.300, and season-best scores on floor (14.350), high bar (13.800), still rings (13.650), and parallel bars (13.500). Burkhart placed fifth on high bar at last year’s Winter Cup and is the 2023 U.S. Silver medalist on floor. Like so many in the men’s field, he’ll be looking to make a statement at Winter Cup as 2025 gets rolling.

Taylor Christopulos

With his confidence continuing to grow on the NCAA stage in particular as a fifth year for Nebraska, Taylor Christopulos’ performance is elevating as well. He helped lead the Huskers to a 12-8 overall finish in 2024, highlighted by their third-place finish at the Big Ten Conference Championships and a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Championships. He’s sharp, clean and consistent across the board, which translates into his competition results. Be on the lookout for Christopulos to surprise and even challenge for podium finish in Louisville.

Riley Loos

As a three-time NCAA team champion (2021-23), two-time MPSF team champion (2022-23), 2022 NCAA Champion on rings, 2023 Nissen-Emery Award Finalist and seven-time NCAA All-American (2020: All-Around, rings; 2021: floor, high bar, rings; 2022: floor, rings), Riley Loos was instrumental to the success of the Stanford Cardinal. Now, he’s working his way up the men’s national and international scene. He took third at Winter Cup in 2024, possibly surprising everyone but himself, and was part of the gold medal effort at theDTB Pokal Mixed Cup. Strong on rings and across the All-Around, Loos cannot be counted out in Louisville.

Ian Sandoval

Twice this season, Illinois freshman Ian Sandoval has been named the CGA Rookie of the Week. After earning two career highs (pommel horse and high bar) and winning the all-around title at then-No. 7 Michigan, Sandoval also moved up the national ranks to the number one spot in the all-around. He’s now added six weekly awards and five event titles over the course of just four competitions to his resume, and he’s definitely one to watch at Winter Cup and in the years to come!

Also on our radar for the men, Olympic Trials qualifier Kae Uemura, Kiran Mandava, Ignacio Yockers, Dante Reive, Brandon Dang, Jeremy Bischoff, and Crew Bold.

USA Gymnastics Coverage Note for 2025 

Winter Cup will kick off a USA Gymnastics 2025 livestreaming schedule that includes competitions, camps and podium trainings throughout the country.

The 2025 domestic season will begin with exclusive live coverage of Winter Cup, Feb. 21-23 in Louisville, Kentucky, on USA Gymnastics’ YouTube channel, which will carry all competition in the Nastia Liukin Cup, Elite Team Cup and Winter Cup events. USA Gymnastics’ streaming subscription service, FlipNow.tv, will carry podium training.

Note: All other 2025 USA Gymnastics premier events will livestream free on YouTube, including USA Gymnastics Championships elite competition, U.S. Classic and U.S. Gymnastics Championships.

FlipNow.tv will livestream podium training at all premier events in addition to carrying live coverage of a range of competition, including the Development Program National Championships, Rhythmic Elite Qualifier, USA Gymnastics Championships non-arena competition, American Classic, Hopes Classic, Hopes Championships, and the women’s artistic World Championships selection camp. Archival footage, competition highlights and athlete profiles will continue to be uploaded and available on the FlipNow website.

2025 USA Gymnastics streaming schedule (events and specific streaming dates subject to change)

USA Gymnastics YouTube schedule (free access)

Feb. 21-23 – Winter Cup/Nastia Liukin Cup/Elite Team Cup – exclusive live coverage

June 16-21 – USA Gymnastics Championships

July 18-19 – U.S. Classic

Aug. 7-10 –U.S. Gymnastics Championships

One Year Ago

5 Key Takeaways From Winter Cup

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