There is nothing quite like the Nastia Liukin Cup. It’s heartwarming to watch the future of NCAA gymnastics get brighter and brighter. This year, both the senior and the junior competitions kept us glued to our seats until the very last routine. Congratulations to Avery Neff and Kailin Chio for tying for the senior title and to Addy Fulcher for winning the junior title.
As It Happened: The Senior Meet
The senior meet was a nail-biting competition from the beginning to the end. As predicted, Utah commit Avery Neff, LSU commit Kailin Chio and Denver signee Madison Ulrich proved to be the gymnasts to beat, with other athletes showing glimpses of greatness but failing to put together a complete meet.
The competition opened with a stunning floor routine by Georgia signee Lily Smith, who showed off her incredible technique for a near-perfect Titanic-inspired exercise that earned a 9.900. On vault, Chio stuck her Yurchenko one and a half for a 9.825, Ulrich hit her difficult front handspring front pike half for a 9.750, and Alabama signee Chloe LaCoursiere performed a clean Yurchenko full for a 9.700. Meanwhile on beam, favorite Neff had a slightly shaky routine for a 9.500. Although beam always scores lower than the other events, Neff left the door open and found…
