GymnasticsVille is previewing the top 20 gymnasts set to compete at the 2019 U.S. Gymnastics Championships. We will always remember how Sam Mikulak finally broke through and won an individual world medal at the 2018 World Championships. Yul Moldauer is determined to make his third world team. Donnell Whittenburg is healthy and is looking to get back on the national team. This years U.S. Championships will be action packed with great gymnasts. It’s gonna be a good one!
1. Sam Mikulak | Olympic Training Center
Consistency: 8
Still with how amazing Sam is, we never know what Sam we will get. When Mikulak hits six for six in the all-around, he is surely top 3 in the world.
Strength: 10
Has the ability to come away with top 3 finishes on 5 events. Rings is his weakest event and even there, he is a top 5 American.
Experience: 10
Sam has been to 2 Olympics and 4 World Championships. There is nothing more for him to gain at this point.
Special: 10
Sam has proven himself capable to winning an individual world medal on high bar. His gymnastics is technically sound, which makes him untouchable when he is on fire.
2. Yul Moldauer | Oklahoma
Consistency: 9
Yul has been one is the most reliable gymnast since hitting the scene in 2016. You can count on Yul to get the job done 9 times out of 10.
Strength: 9
A world floor bronze medalist, so expect Yul to challenge for top spot there. Not to mention Moldauer only has 1 weak event which is high bar. Yul has the capability to bring home top 3 placements in 4 events.
Experience: 9
He has now competed in 2 World Championships and multiple senior international competitions. American Cup, World Cups, and strong NCAA experience. The only thing left on the checklist is an Olympic Team at this point.
Special: 10
Yul has proven he can hang with the best in the world on floor with a medal in 2017 and he has shown up on big occasions in the all-around as well.
3. Colin Van Wicklen | Oklahoma
Consistency: 8
Colin has shown tremendous strides the last 3 years in making himself a regular guy on the national team. Colin shows great consistency on his strong events (High Bar & Vault), but at time shows a touch of inconsistency on the others.
Strength: 9
From the looks of his Instagram feed, Colin is making upgrades on his weaker events still rings, parallel bars, and now looks strong enough to be a strong contender on 5 events.
Experience: 9
Last year making his first world team and getting world cup experience has Van Wicklen primed to compete at major international meets.
Special: 9
A regular top US gymnast Colin is looking to make a giant impact on the world stage. If he can upgrade a second vault Colin will be a top vaulter in the world.
4. Akash Modi | Stanford
Consistency: 8
Akash has the ability to finish top 3 in all-around. He has not accomplished this yet, due to his inconsistent performances generally, the 2nd day at U.S Championships.
Strength: 9
With world class difficulty Akash can place top 3 on 3-4 events.
Experience: 9
Competing in his first World Championships last year was a confidence boost. Akash is in a prime time position to take his gymnastics to another level.
Special: 9
If Akash can put together an amazing 6 routines he can challenge for the top all-around spot at championships.
5. Allan Bower | Oklahoma
Consistency: 10
There hasn’t been a more consistent American gymnast in this quad or maybe ever. You can always count on Allan Bower a.k.a Jack Bauer.
Strength: 8
Allan’s strength is his consistency and pommel horse. If Allan can pick up one more strong event, he will make it even harder to leave him off the world team.
Experience: 9
Allan has competed in essentially every major meet outside of World Championships and had a strong NCAA career to fall back on.
Special: 9
Gymnastics is a hard sport and Allan’s consistency should never go understated. When you know what you’ll get from a gymnast each time out, it makes life easy.
6. Alec Yoder | Ohio State
Consistency: 8
Alec has improved his consistency on his stronger events but still lacks consistency with his weaker ones. As long as he can keep hitting pommel horse he will always give himself a chance to be on international teams.
Strength: 9
If he hits pommel horse he will be national champion on this event. He can also place top 5 on parallel bars and high bar.
Experience: 9
Alec performed well at his first World Championships last year and has made finals in World Cups on pommel horse. Look for him to continue on this trend if he has another good performance at championships.
Special: 9
World Class on pommel horse is no easy feat in this era of gymnastics. If he can bring his start value up on one more event, Alec can have a special of a 10.
7. Brody Malone | Stanford
Consistency: 8
Brody is still young, so we don’t count all of our chickens quite yet. If he can put together a solid championships his consistency rating will sky rocket.
Strength: 9
With only one weakish event which is pommel horse, look for Brody to place top 5 on 4-5 events with good performances.
Experience: 8
Still young and with no senior international meets under his belt yet, look for the Men’s Program Committee (MPC) to select him for more international assignments in the future. He just needs to make the national team. This weekend we will see how he fairs competing for Team USA at the Pan American Games.
Special: 9
Win NCAA’s as a freshman. Ya that’s special!’
8. Genki Suzuki | Oklahoma
Consistency: 9
Genki was a key contributor on the dominant Oklahoma teams over the last 4 years. A reliable competitor. You can always expect Genk to stop the bleeding after a miss from a teammate.
Strength: 9
With strong performances over two days, Genki can place top 5 in 3-4 events and in the all-around.
Experience: 9
A strong NCAA career, his recent international success with capturing team and pommel horse medals at the 2018 Pan American Championships, provided a good experience for the newly American Citizen.
Special: 9
A reliable gymnast that has only been climbing the ranks over the few years. You can expect this trend to continue at this years championships.
9. Trevor Howard | Ohio State
Consistency: 8
Trevor stock is rising on the national team. His name is always in the conversation. At Winter Cup and U.S. Championships is where he competes at his best.
Strength: 9
There is no question that Howard is one of the strongest still ring gymnasts in the country. You can bet that he will defend as last year’s national rings champion.
Experience: 8
Howard has competed in 3 world cups over the past two years. If given the opportunity to compete on the world team, he will be ready.
Special: 9
When Howard is feeling it, he has been known to get the crowd hype. Just ask him about the 2019 Winter Cup Challenge, where he stuck a handspring double front on vault.
10. Sean Melton | Ohio State
Consistency: 8
You don’t win the Nissen Emery Award, college gymnastics highest honor, without competing at highest level year after year.
Strength: 8
Has the ability to come away with top 5 finishes on 4 events.
Experience: 8
Melton has nine international competitions under his belt for Team USA. Most recently, he won all-around gold at the 2019 University of Calgary International Cup.
Special: 9
Melton is a very stylist gymnast, his level of execution mixed with high difficulty is what sets him apart from everyone else.
11. Kanji Oyama | Olympic Training Center
Consistency: 8
After a below average performance at the 2019 Winter Cup Challenge by his own standards. Oyama showed that by winning the National Qualifier this past month that he can bounce back. He will need this mindset to stay in contention for this years world team.
Strength: 8
His gymnastics is solid on every event, which is why you can never count him out on any given day.
Experience: 8
Oyama has almost seen it all. Competed at the 2016 Olympic Team Trials and help lead Team USA to a gold medal at the 2018 Pan American Championships.
Special: 9
Kanji twists like a top, how else can you explain him competing a back three and half on the floor at the 2019 National Qualifier.
12. Shane Wiskus | Minnesota
Consistency: 8
Shane has been on and off national team the last two years. If he competes consistently, he will put himself in the mix.
Strength: 8
Coming off an NCAA title on parallel bars, look for Shane to contend on top 5 finishes on floor, parallel bars and high bar.
Experience: 7
With his inconsistency at Winter Cup and U.S. Championships, Shane has been unable to get the international experience as other gymnasts on these rankings.
Special: 9
Shane can still hang up there with the big dawgs if he hits. He can be a surprise world team member. Hitting 12 for 12 at U.S. Championships will put him in contention.
13. Robert Neff | Stanford
Consistency: 9
Rob is one of the more underrated gymnasts who steadily hits and makes it on the national team.
Strength: 8
Known best for his high bar style and a steady all-arounder. Rob can look to place top 5 on 2 events, plus top 6 in the all-around.
Experience: 8
A strong NCAA career with two high bar titles and seven international competitions under his belt. Most recently, he helped lead the U.S. men’s squad to a team gold medal at the 2019 University of Calgary International Cup. Look for Rob to fight for a spot on the world team if other strong all-arounders falter.
Special: 9
Clean gymnastics, high difficulty, mixed with an exciting high bar set gives him a strong special score.
14. Donnell Whittenburg | Olympic Training Center
Consistency: 7
DonDon is well known for his raw power and talent. He was inconsistent last year due to injuries which has left him off the national team. If he hits, watch out.
Strength: 9
Usually a world class vaulter and still rings worker. If DonDon has a good championships he can place top 3 finished on 3 events and possibly in the all-around
Experience: 9
DonDon has gone to multiple World Championships and competed all over the world. Outside the Olympic Games Don has done everything.
Special: 10
He’s already grabbed a world medal on vault and coupled with his overall strength. DonDon might be the closest thing we have in gymnastics to a real super hero. Seriously just watch him do gymnastics. The earth shakes when he uses his powers.
15. Levi Anderson | Oklahoma
Consistency: 9
Levi went 12 for 12 at Winter Cup and just missed out on a national team Berth. Many industry insiders felt he should of have been selected. Being one of the most reliable Sooners during their dynastic run makes Levi a gymnast you can count on to get a hit set in pressure situations.
Strength: 8
A huge vault and strong High Bar has Levi in prime position for top 5 finishes on those events.
Experience: 8
A strong NCAA career plus a trip to the World University Games has given Levi some great experience.
Special: 8
Consistency, mix with a winning pedigree gives Levi a strong edge in competitions when things get close.
16. Cameron Bock | Michigan
Consistency: 8
Cam is a strong competitor and has been on and off the national team the past 2 years. When he hits he is easily on the team.
Strength: 9
With no real weak event, Cam can place top 5 on multiple events. With a 12 for 12 performance at championships, Cam can place top 6 in the all-around.
Experience: 8
A strong two years at Michigan mixed with a top 3 all-around performance at last years Pan American Championships gave Bock some vital experience that could help him sneak onto the World Team.
Special: 9
No weak event plus great lines. Cameron also has killer instinct which makes him great to have in the lineup during team competitions.
17. Alex Diab | Illinois
Consistency: 9
Generally overlooked when competing for spots on world and national teams, but don’t get it twisted, Diab has 4 solid events and usually hits them well.
Strength: 8
One of the top still rings workers in the nation and shows excellent tumbling. Look for Alex to place in the top 5 on those events and contend for a national title on still rings at championships.
Experience: 8
4 solid seasons as an Illini coupled with 2 trips to the World University Games has given Alex some solid experience.
Special: 8
2-time NCAA champion on rings and the all time leader in wins for a single event in the long great history at the University of Illinois is nothing to scoff at.
18. Riley Loos | Technique Gymnastics
Consistency: 9
For a junior gymnast Riley competes above his years when it comes to consistency. Usually a very reliable competitor.
Strength: 8
Another gymnast with no true weak event, with age he will improve his overall difficulty. Riley already has strong routines on 4 events. Expect him to challenge in the top 10 on floor, vault, and rings.
Experience: 7
As a junior Riley hasn’t had many opportunities to compete with the big dawgs, but he had a strong showing at his first senior international assignment at last years Pan American Championships. Expect Riley to gain more experience over the next few years on the college scene for Stanford University.
Special: 8
To be considered a top 20 senior gymnast before entering into college is something to be proud about. Riley will be a strong candidate for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
19. Donothan Bailey | Olympic Training Center
Consistency: 8
Last year Donothan had his best U.S. Championships ever by placing 4th in the all-around. A shoulder injury has sidelined him for the entire 2019 season. Not sure what we will get from him next month in Kansas City. Bailey would be much higher on this list if not for the injury.
Strength: 9
Before the injury, Donothan had big start values which made him super competitive when he hits.
Experience: 8
He has competed in just about every major national event including the 2016 Olympic Team Trials. On the international scene, Bailey has been to 3 World Cups in the last few years.
Special: 9
Donothan is the veteran on the team and has to maintain his difficulty to compete with younger gymnasts. If he returns to form he will be a major player in 2020.
20. Grant Breckenridge | Stanford
Consistency: 9
Grant was a solid gymnast for Stanford his entire career starting as a freshman. Usually super reliable.
Strength: 8
Grant excels on high bar, expect him to have a top 5 finish there. Grant utilizes his clean gymnastics to finish high in the all-around standings. If he can go 12 for 12 expect grant to finish in the top 8 in the all-around.
Experience: 8
A strong NCAA career mixed in with a few international assignments has Grant ready for a strong showing. Gymnastics insiders are expecting big things from him this weekend at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
Special: 9
Given his injury track record it’s amazing that Grant has shown the mental toughness to keep pushing. This will give him opportunities to make national team and compete for Team USA.
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