© Matthew Smith/Gymnastics Now
Conn. – PeoplesBank Arena was electric for the 2026 U.S. Classic, bolstered by appearances from Olympic gold medalist Jade Careyand Katelyn Ohashi, but it was Reese Esponda who stood atop the all-around podium at the end of the night
The 17-year-old World Champions gymnast known for her powerful and unique tumbling on floor won her first elite all-around title in dominating fashion, scoring a 54.900 – nearly a point ahead of Carey (54.900). Zoey Molomo was third with a 53.900
Esponda also won floor (13.950) and finished third on beam (13.750) despite being sick this week and coming off a foot injury that hindered her training for two months
Carey won vault (14.275 average) for her double-twisting Yurchenko (14.300) and Lopez (13.850). She said after the meet that she’s looking to upgrade that event at championships, likely hinting at turning the Lopez into a Cheng
“It’s been going pretty good in the gym,” Carey said after the meet
Rounding out the event winners was Skye Blakely, who won bars (14.100) and beam (14.250) in her first elite meet of the year. Those are the only two routines she competed as she works up to four events, and they’re the only two routines that went over the 14 mark in Hartford beyond vault
“Take it as a stepping stone to build back to all-around,” Blakely said
If Blakely does compete all four events at championships, with a Lopez on vault and her modified NCAA floor routine, she’ll be a contender for the title
One of the biggest storylines of this meet was Ohashi trying to qualify to next month’s U.S. Championships in just her second meet back
The 29-year-old came close, scoring 13.2s on both beam and floor, but the 26.400 total fell short of the 26.800 she needed
Ohashi initially scored a 13.300 on beam, but after she submitted an inquiry, her score was lowered by a tenth. She also didn’t get full difficulty on floor, losing two-tenths after not getting credit for her Memmel turn
Also notably qualifying to U.S. Championships are Isabella Anzola(53.100) and Izzy Stassi (52.550), with both surpassing the required 52.500 mark
Keep reading for a full recap of the meet as it happened
In This Article
2026 U.S. Classic Final Leaderboard
Final Senior All-Around Standings
- Reese Esponda = 54.900
- Jade Carey = 54.050
- Zoey Molomo = 53.900
- Vault: Jade Carey = 14.275 average
- Bars: Skye Blakely = 14.100
- Beam: Skye Blakely = 14.250
- Floor: Reese Esponda = 13.950
Final Junior All-Around Standings
- Addalye VanGrinsven = 52.350
- Brooklyn Klauser = 51.650
- Amia Pugh-Banks = 51.600
Junior Event Winners
- Vault: Amia Pugh-Banks = 14.400
- Bars: TIE Amia Pugh-Banks & Paisley Ritger = 13.100
- BeaTIEm: Brooklyn Klauser = 13.600
- Floor: Addalye VanGrinsven = 13.150
Senior Women – Rotation 4
8:38 p.m. – Jade Carey bars
Toe-on to Bhardwaj. Van Leeuwen. Ezhova. Maloney, leg separation, to immediate Gienger. Giant 1/1. Full-twisting double layout, small hop. 13.550 and a 54.050 for second!
8:37 p.m. – Reese Esponda vault
Nearly stuck double-twisting Yurchenko. 14.150, and that will give her a huge 54.900 and the win!
8:31 p.m. – Zoey Molomo beam+ Dulcy Caylor vault
Molomo: Switch leap mount. Double wolf turn. Side aerial to layout stepout. Switch leap. Back tuck, excellent. Front aerial to split jump to straddle jump. Double back, small hop back. What a day for her! 13.700 for a 53.900 total
Caylor: Goes with a watered down full-twisting Yurchenko after three falls and it’s a smart choice. Clean. 13.000
8:29 p.m. – Katelyn Ohashi floor
She needs a 13.500 – a tall task – to qualify to championships. But let’s see if she can execute like crazy and make it happen. Double Y-turn. 1.5 to full, couple small, clean steps out of it. Double wolf turn. The crowd is clapping along. Roundoff layout stepout to the side to get the 0.2 D dismount bonus. Good leaps/jumps. Excellent double pike, didn’t see the feet but looked basically stuck. She’s fist pumping to the crowd as she walks off the floor and the audience is going crazy!
Close, but it’s a 13.200 for a 26.400 total – four-tenths off the mark. She got a 4.800 D-score. (They lowered Ohashi’s beam to a 13.200.)
Senior Women – Rotation 3
8:13 p.m. – Leanne Wong beam
Switch leap mount, leg up but gets it back. Switch leap to switch half to straddle jump. Wolf turn. Side aerial and she’s off on the layout exactly how she did many times during podium training. Just off line it seems? But more than anything it’s mental. She has a minor wrist injury that is limiting her this week. Front aerial to split jump to wolf jump. Side somi, swings her arms. Tuck full and a step back. 11.900
8:08 p.m. – Dulcy Caylor floor
Double layout, undercut it and lands on her knees. Whip full through to layout – supposed to be the double back punch front pass that she’s known for. Watering down the rest of her passes after the fall, which is smart. She’s already qualified to championships and doesn’t need to risk further injury after falling on bars and beam before this. 10.950
8:08 p.m. – Katelyn Ohashi beam
First of her two events here and looking for a 26.800 total to qualify to championships. This crowd is behind her. Squat through mount. Front aerial to split jump to straddle jump, small balance check. Standing Arabian, low in the squat, but she makes it. Back handspring to layout stepout. Double wolf turn, small bobble. Switch leap to switch half to back handspring. Side somi. Gainer tuck full to huge applause! We’ll see the score but that was an overall great routine from Ohashi. 13.300
13.200.
Will need a 13.500
13.600 to qualify to championships. (They adjusted her beam to a 13.200.)
8:04 p.m. – Simone Rose beam+ Izzy Stassi vault + Zoey Molomo bars
Rose: Switch leap to switch leap. Front handspring to front tuck. Clean wolf turn. Back handspring to layout stepout to layout stepout, bends at the waist and comes off. Side aerial to split jump to straddle jump, but seemed to break the connection to the first jump. Double full. 11.750
Stassi: Yurchenko 1.5, small hop. 13.700. And she’s doing a second vault! Yurchenko half-on front pike
Molomo: Clear hip to straddle Jaeger. Pak to toe-on to Van Leeuwen. Giant 1/1. Blind change to double front, stuck. She is having an excellent meet! 12.950
8:00 p.m. – Skye Blakely beam+ Reese Esponda floor
Blakely: Triple wolf turn. Standing full, leg all the way up but she makes it work. Front handspring to punch front, small check. Punch front pike, step forward. Good on her leaps and mixed series. Double back, some steps but hits it. Should be another decent score for Blakely despite the big balance check. 14.250 – these girls better watch out when she’s competing the all-around!
Esponda: Tucked double-double. Big double layout. Clean wolf turn. Barani to double back, huge. Double pike, solid. Continues to be a powerhouse on floor and seems to be refining her skills. 13.950
7:57 p.m. – Jade Carey vault
Nearly stuck double-twisting Yurchenko for a 14.300, and she will stay up for a second vault. Lopez second vault. 13.850
Senior Women – Rotation 2
7:49 p.m. – Dulcy Caylor beam
Switch leap mount. Back handspring to layout stepout to layout stepout, clean. Ring jump. Side aerial, breaks connection. Switch leap to switch half, small bobble. Front aerial to split jump to back swing down. Double wolf turn. Double pike dismount, and she is super low. Didn’t have a chance to land it, but pops up after the fall and seems okay. Caylor also fell on bars in the rotation prior. 12.100
7:44 p.m. – Izzy Stassi floor+ Tatum Drusch beam + Ally Damelio bars
Stassi: Tucked double-double, low chest and a step forward, but good power. Half-in, half-out. 1.5 to front full. Double back. 13.300
Drusch: Round off layout mount, hit. She falls on the series after that. She fell again and had some other major errors. 9.900 – 4.900 E-score
Damelio: Gits her Seitz but that double front dismount trips her up. Was watching from the corner of my eye – don’t think she fell, just a lot of steps back. 12.800
7:40 p.m. – Simone Rose bars
Clear hip half. Maloney to clear hip 1/1 to Pak. Van Leeuwen. Straddle Tkatchev. Full-twisting double layout and a hop. Really good composition for her. 13.600
7:36 p.m. – Reese Esponda beam
Big 13.750 from Esponda on beam! She looked solid in podium training yesterday, including a nearly stuck double pike. 13.750
7:36 p.m. – Caroline Moreau + Zoey Molomo vault
Moreau sat her Yurchenko 1.5. 12.600
Molomo hit an excellent Yurchenko 1.5 for a 14.000 – 9.4 E-score
7:36 p.m. – Jade Carey floor
Full-twisting double layout, small hop back. Full-in, excellent. She’s getting good height on her passes. 1.5 to front full to stag – love that ending! Double back. Killer routine from the Tokyo floor champ! 13.300 – tied for first on the event
7:34 p.m. – Skye Blakely bars
Stalder. Toe-on piked Tkatchev. Stalder piked Tkatchev to Pak. Toe 1/1 (splits in the air and somehow saves it) to Van Leeuwen. Toe-on blind change. Double front half, stuck cold. 14.100
7:32 p.m. – Isabella Anzola floor
Big double layout, small hop in place. 2.5 to punch front, excellent. Double back, small hop. Double pike, basically stuck. Another excellent and clean routine for Anzola! 13.300
Senior Women – Rotation 1
7:22 p.m. – Zoey Molomo floor
Double Y-turn. Double layout, low chest and step forward. Whip full through to double pike, bit uncontrolled on the landing. Punch front through to double back, stuck cold. 13.250
7:20 p.m. – Tatum Drusch bars + Lila Richardson floor
Drusch: Clear hip to toe 1/1, almost over but fights it, to Maloney to Pak. Van Leeuwen. Straddle Jaeger. Half turn. Double layout, step back. Really great handstands and legs glued together. 13.350
Richardson: Full-twisting double back, large hop back. Full through to double back, great power but OOB. Double wolf turn. Punch front through to double pike, slightly underortoated and step forward. 12.800
7:16 p.m. – Isabella Anzola beam
Score = 13.800. From what we saw, super clean beam work, as she has been known for since she was a junior
7:15 p.m. – Jade Carey beam
Forward roll mount. Double wolf turn. Front aerial to split jump to back swing down, but she broke the connection between the aerial and jump. Back handspring to layout stepout. Side aerial. Switch leap to switch half to straddle jump – tight on those last two jumps. Double back, low chest and a step forward, but she did a full at American Classic, so that’s a big upgrade! 12.900
7:12 p.m. – Reese Esponda bars
Esponda has been improving on bars. Let’s see how this goes. Toe 1/1 almost over but she gets through to the Van Leeuwen. Ezhova. Maloney to Gienger. Clear hip to full-twisting double back, small hop. 13.050
7:09 p.m. – Simone Rose vault
Rose came close to winning this meet last year before Claire Pease beat her. On vault, she opens with a clean Yurchenko 1.5, just a small hop to the side. 13.600
7:08 p.m. – Caroline Moreau floor + Caylor bars and Stassi beam notes
Moreau doesn’t go fro the full-twisting double layout here. Instead, it’s a clean and huge double layout. Tuck full-in, small hop. Double L-turn. Through to double back. Crowd loved it. Super high powered. First year senior (won junior title at champs last year), and she is absolutely one to watch tonight and in general. 13.250
Izzy Stassi beam = 11.900
Caylor fell on bars. She catches the following release close, probably to be conservative. Double layout seemed undercut a bit. 11.900
7:03 p.m. – Touch warmup happening now
We’re about to get underway with Rotation 1! How to watch details are above, as well as live scores
6:07 p.m. – Senior warmups rotation 3
- Jade Carey with an excellent double-twisting Yurchenko on vault
6:01 p.m. – Senior warmups rotation 2
- Jade Carey full-twisting double layout looked great on floor
- Skye Blakely stuck her double front half off bars
- Izzy Stassi’s double-double on floor looks excellent
Leo vibes – a lot of green and purple/pink
Junior Women – Rotation 4
4:06 p.m. – That’s all she wrotefor the juniors!
Addalye VanGrinsven wins the junior division with a 52.350. We’ll have seniors at 7 p.m. ET!
3:52 p.m. – Brooklyn Klauser floor
Whip whip to double back, some steps back but seems to keep it in bounds. 1.5 to front full, bit low but gets it to her feet. 2.5 twist, a step forward. Interesting twist technique – a bit delayed, which makes you think she won’t get it around. 12.850
3:48 p.m. – Balk from Anslee McCauley
Looks like McCauley was definitely planning to do a second vault but balked at the last second and ran past the table
3:43 p.m. – Addalye VanGrinsven beam
Switch leap, some leg bend. Full turn. Back handspring to layout stepout. Punch front, takes a step forward but stays on the beam. Switch leap to straddle jump to split jump, extension struggles on those last two. Double back, single step. Assuming that should give her the title? 12.650 and a 52.350 total – yea, that should do it
3:39 p.m. – Amia Pugh-Banks vault
Pugh-Banks gets a huge applause for her excellent double-twisting Yurchenko, which scores a 14.400 to put her into the lead with a 51.600. Pugh-Banks also did a full-twisting Yurchenko as a second vault
3:38 p.m. – Audrey VanGrinsven beam
Upgraded to a triple series here – back handspring to layout stepout to layout stepout, but she falls on it. Does a watered down layout dismount. 11.400
3:37 p.m. – Sydney Williams bars
Williams was swinging great but got caught up on a handstand later in the routine, lost her swing, and had to stop momentarily to get the swing back. She finished well, but that will hurt when she was sitting third after Rotation 3 and absolutely in contention as a strong bars worker. 12.300
Junior Women – Rotation 3
3:22 p.m. – Claire Ekart floor
Double pike, hop back. Front layout, front full, large step forward. Double back, small hop in place. 12.350
3:21 p.m. – Madelyn Eagle beam
Double wolf turn, works to get it around. Switch leap to switch half, stumble, touches the beam and she’s off. Side aerial. Back handspring to layout stepout, excellent. Back tuck, great. Clean dismount with just a hop. 10.600
3:14 p.m. – Amia Pugh-Banks floor
Tucked double-double – upgrade – bit low and a step forward. Punch front through to double back, bit of an uncontrolled rebound. Unsure if she went out of bounds. Double wolf turn. Double pike, hop forward. 12.700
3:10 p.m. – Addalye VanGrinsven bars
Did her upgraded double layout, which was clean. 12.450
3:06 p.m. – Sydney Williams vault
Tsuk full. Some leg separation and a hop. 12.900
Junior Women – Rotation 2
2:49 p.m. – Score update
- Paisley Ritger bars = 13.100
- Avery Haines floor = 12.300
- Amia Pugh-Banks beam = 11.400
- Madelyn Eagle bars = 11.800
2:40 p.m. – Sydney Williams floor
1.5 through to double back, uncontrolled rebound forward but didn’t seem to put her hand down. Front handspring full. Triple wolf turn, gets it around. 2.5 twist, step to the side. 13.300
2:34 p.m. – Addalye VanGrinsven vault
Kind of floated that Yurchenko 1.5, small hop. 13.650
2:31 p.m. – Audrey VanGrinsven vault
Very straight Yurchenko layout, small step on the landing. 12.500
Junior Women – Rotation 1
2:15 p.m. – Amia Pugh-Banks bars
Van Leeuwen. Blind change to straddle Jaeger. Toe-on straddle Tkatchev to Pak. Maloney to Gienger. Full-twisting double back, bit low in the chest and a step forward. 13.100
2:12 p.m. – Addalye VanGrinsven floor
Double wolf turn. Tucked full-in, small hop forward. Double pike, opens up just slightly at the end for a little flare and a hop. Punch front layout through to double back. 13.150
Addalye told us yesterday that she is working on an opening double layout for that routine that she’s planning to debut at championships next month
2:09 p.m. – Audrey VanGrinsven floor
Triple wolf turn, slightly bobbly. Double back, clean with the slightest adjustment on her landing. Single Y-turn. Double pike, how she landed that so clean, I don’t know because she gets so little height (or maybe it’s because she’s 12 years old and very short). 2.5 to punch front, small hop. Outstanding routine for her U.S. Classic debut! 11.800
2:06 p.m. – Avery Haines beam
Switch leap to split jump. Back handspring to layout stepout, a bit of arm flailing and bends a little at the waist. Off on the ensuing front aerial. Gets right back up, full turn. Side aerial. Double twist dismount with a step. 10.650
2:04 p.m. – Brooklyn Klauser vault
Very clean Yurchenko full, nearly stuck, but a small hop. 13.050
1:57 p.m. – Rotation 1 touch warmup under way
We’ll get started here shortly
1:40 p.m. – Juniors warming up
We are full swing into warmups! Before the meet starts, check out some of our preview content leading up to the meet!
- Notes & Quotes: Upgrades and talking comebacks at 2026 U.S. Classic podium training
- Notes & Quotes: Skye Blakely talks 2026 U.S. Classic, ‘dream’ bars routine, and more
- Notes & Quotes: Katelyn Ohashi talks U.S. Classic goals, Simone Biles calling her crazy, and more
- Video: Katelyn Ohashi podium training highlights
- Video: Jade Carey bars upgrade
- Video: Perfectly-timed moments from podium training
- Interview: Catching up with the VanGrinsven sisters
- Interview: Katelyn Ohashi plans to continue gymnastics past this season
- Interview: Junior Amia Pugh-Banks talks upgrades and four gold medals at Pan Ams
Hopes Championships Recap
Royal Gymnastics dominated the 2026 Hopes Championships, with Kaleah Hamiltonand Jemma Oiewinning the 13-14 and 11-12 titles, respectively
Oie and 11-12 second place finisher Charlie Marshall, also of Royal Gymnastics, both surpassed the 50 mark, with scores of 50.200 and 50.100, respectively
Hamilton topped the 13-14 field with a 49.600
The 2026 Hopes national team is below
13-14
- Isabella Alban
- Madyson Crumpler
- Kaleah Hamilton
- Toryn Marrs
- Lexie Santella
- Agnes Song
11-12
- Cynthia Gutierrez
- Charlie Marshall
- Fabiola Montes Roque
- Jemma Oie
- Mary Sizemore
- Harper Usseglio
How to Qualify to U.S. Championships
The 2026 U.S. Classic is the last chance to qualify to the 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships, set for August 6-9 in Phoenix, Arizona
To qualify to championships, seniors must earn an all-around score of 52.500. Alternatively, they can earn a three-event score of 39.600 or a two-event score of 26.800, but they may only compete on the same two or three events at championships where they obtained the qualifying score
Juniors must earn a 49.500 all-around score
There are 24 senior spots and 28 junior spots at championships. If there are still open spots available following the conclusion of the U.S. Classic on July 18, USA Gymnastics will consider seniors with a minimum score of 51.500 and juniors with a minimum score of 48.500 from the qualifying events (2026 international assignment, Winter Cup, American Classic, or U.S. Classic)
Here is a link to the full qualifying breakdown
