2012 Olympian and three-time U.S. champion Sam Mikulak of Newport Coast, Calif./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center), is pursuing his fourth consecutive U.S. all-around title at the 2016 P&G Men’s Gymnastics Championships, scheduled for June 3 and 5 at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. Mikulak is one of 11 men in the field who have combined for 42 U.S. titles and 12 World medals. Including Mikulak, four members of the 2012 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team are slated to compete in Hartford. Performances in Hartford will determine the men who advance to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Gymnastics, June 23 and 25, in St. Louis, Mo.
The U.S. men garnered the team gold medal and 12 individual medals at the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships presented by Hershey’s in Everett, Wash. The team members were: Jake Dalton of Sparks, Nev./Team Hilton (University of Oklahoma); Mikulak; Alex Naddour of Gilbert, Ariz./Team Hilton (USA Youth Fitness Center); John Orozco of the Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center); Eddie Penev of Rochester, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center); and Donnell Whittenburg of Baltimore, Md./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center). Whittenburg won the gold medal on still rings and parallel bars to go with his two silver medals (all-around and vault). Orozco captured the gold medal on the horizontal bar and a silver medal on still rings. Penev won the vault gold and floor silver medal, and Dalton took the floor title. Naddour took home the pommel horse gold, and Mikulak earned the pommel horse silver medal and all-around bronze.
The 11 men who have combined for a total of 12 World medals and 42 U.S. titles are listed below. The complete men’s field is also included with the release.
Chris Brooks, Houston/Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center): 2010 and 2015 U.S. horizontal bar champion; member of the 2010 and 2015 World Championships Team; 2012 Olympic Team alternate.
Jake Dalton, Sparks, Nev./Team Hilton (University of Oklahoma): 2014 World team and vault bronze medalist; 2013 World floor exercise silver medalist; 2011 World team bronze medalist; three-time U.S. floor (2011-12, 2014) and vault (2009, 2011-12) champion; 2012 Olympian.
Josh Dixon, San Jose, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center: 2010 U.S. floor exercise champion.
Steven Legendre, Port Jefferson, N.Y./Team Hilton (University of Oklahoma): 2015 Pan Am Games team champion; 2013 World vault silver medalist; 2011 World team bronze medalist; three-time U.S. floor exercise champion (2009, 2013, 2015); 2010 U.S. vault champion; also a member of the 2009-10 World Championships Teams; 2012 Olympic Team alternate.
Danell Leyva, Miami/Team Hilton (Universal Gymnastics): 2015 World high bar silver medalist; 2014 World team bronze and parallel bars silver medalist; 2012 Olympic all-around bronze medalist; 2011 World parallel bars champion and team bronze medalist; 2011 U.S. all-around champion; four-time U.S. parallel bars (2010-12, 2014) and three-time horizontal bar (2009, 2011-12) champion.
Sam Mikulak, Newport Coast, Calif./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center): 2013-15 U.S. all-around champion; 2015 U.S. vault champion; 2015 Pan American Games all-around and team champion and floor exercise and parallel bars bronze medalist; 2014 World team bronze medalist; 2014 U.S. pommel horse champion; U.S. parallel bars (2013, 2015) and 2013 horizontal bar champion; 2012 Olympian.
Alex Naddour, Gilbert, Ariz./Team Hilton (USA Youth Fitness Center): 2011 and 2014 World team bronze medalist; four-time U.S. pommel horse champion (2011-13, 2015); also a member of the 2013 and 2015 World Championships Teams; 2012 Olympic Team alternate.
John Orozco, the Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center): 2014 World team bronze medalist; 2013 World parallel bars bronze medalist; 2011 World team bronze medalist; 2014 U.S. high bar champion; 2012 U.S. all-around champion; 2012 Olympian.
Eddie Penev, Penfield, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center): 2013 U.S. vault champion.
Donnell Whittenburg, Baltimore, Md./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center): 2015 World vault bronze medalist; 2015 Pan Am Games team champion, and vault, still rings and floor exercise silver medalist; 2014 World team bronze medalist; 2015 U.S. still rings champion; 2014 U.S. vault champion.
Brandon Wynn, Voorhees, N.J./Team Hilton (Ohio State University): 2013 World still rings bronze medalist; four -time U.S. still rings champion (2010-11, 2013-14).
Other men to watch are listed below.
Marvin Kimble, Milwaukee, Wis./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center): 2016 University of Calgary International Cup team, pommel horse, parallel bars and horizontal bar champion; 2015 Pan American Games team and pommel horse champion.
C.J. Maestas, Corrales, N.M./U.S. Olympic Training Center: two-time U.S. still rings bronze medalist (2014-15); 2015 NCAA horizontal bar champion and all-around and still rings silver medalist; 2014 NCAA still rings silver and floor exercise bronze medalist; 2012 NCAA team and still rings champion and all-around silver medalist.
Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J./Stanford: 2016 NCAA parallel bars and horizontal bar champion, and team and all-around silver medalist; 2015 NCAA all-around champion and team, parallel bars and high bar silver medalist; 2015 World University Games all-around and pommel horse bronze medalist.
Paul Ruggeri, Manlius, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center): 2016 Osijek World Challenge Cup, vault and parallel bars silver and floor bronze medalist; 2015 U.S. vault and horizontal bar silver medalist; 2015 Pan Am Games team gold and high bar bronze medalist; 2014 U.S. vault silver and floor bronze medalist; 2013 U.S. floor silver and vault bronze medalist; member of 2015 World Championships Team.
The 2016 P&G Championships will determine the men’s senior national champions and national team, as well as the men who will advance to the 2016 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Gymnastics in St. Louis, June 23 and 25. Held in conjunction with the men’s P&G Championships, the Secret U.S. Classic, which has athletes competing on the junior and senior levels, serves as the last opportunity for female gymnasts to qualify for the P&G Women’s Championships in St. Louis (June 24 and 26), as well as a tune-up for many of the country’s top women leading into their national championships.
Single-session tickets range from $15 to $65, plus applicable fees; prices vary according to competition session and location. Multi-session ticket packages, which range from $55-$105, and all-session ticket packages, which include tickets for all five sessions and range from $105-$150, are still available. Tickets can be purchased online at XLCenter.com, by phone at 877-522-8499 or at the XL Center Box Office. For Group Sales information, please contact groupsales@xlcenter.com or call 860-548-2000. For more information, go to hartford2016.com.
The competition schedule is: P&G Championships – June 3 at 7 p.m. and June 5 at 1 p.m.; and Secret U.S. Classic – June 4 at 1 p.m. for juniors and 7 p.m. for seniors. The Hopes Championships, which features young, aspiring female gymnasts, is held concurrently with the Secret U.S. Classic and is scheduled for June 3 at 2:30 p.m.
Held in conjunction with the men’s Olympic Trials, the P&G Gymnastics Championships will determine the junior and senior women’s and junior men’s champions and national teams, in addition to determining the senior women who will advance to the U.S. Olympic Trials – Women’s Gymnastics, July 8 and 10 in San Jose, Calif. For more information on USA Gymnastics’ premier events, go to usagym.org/events.
The Hopes Championships has two age groups, 10-11 year-old and the 12-13 year-old. The Hopes classification is just below the elite level, and the Hopes Championships, previously known as the U.S. Challenge, is the culmination of the Hopes athletes’ season.
This is the first time the men’s and women’s national championships have been held separately since 2008. The XL Center staged the national men’s and women’s gymnastics championships in both 2010 and 2013, but the Secret U.S. Classic is making its first visit to Hartford.
XL Center. The XL Center (XLCenter.com), is a 16,000 seat multipurpose arena located in downtown Hartford, CT, and operated by Spectra Venue Management. The arena, home to the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), University of Connecticut Men’s Ice Hockey, and Men’s & Women’s Basketball, was built in 1975 and underwent major renovations in 2014. The XL Center entertains millions of visitors annually with a variety of concerts, family shows, sports, consumer events and trade shows throughout the season.
Spectra. Spectra manages the XL Center, Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field, and the Business Operations of the Hartford Wolf Pack (AHL), as well as more than 130 other public assembly facilities around the world. Spectra by Comcast Spectacor is the expert in hosting and entertainment, partnering with over 300 clients at 400 global properties to create memorable experiences for millions of visitors every year. Spectra’s expertise is embodied within three divisions: Venue Management (formerly Global Spectrum), Food Services & Hospitality (formerly Ovations Food Services), and Ticketing & Fan Engagement (formerly Paciolan). Learn more at SpectraExperiences.com. Comcast Spectacor is part of Comcast Corporation, a Fortune 50 media and technology company that operates Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, in addition to Spectra, Comcast Spectacor owns and operates the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers and the Wells Fargo Center venue. Visit us at ComcastSpectacor.com, PhiladelphiaFlyers.com, and WellsFargoCenterPhilly.com for more information.
USA Gymnastics. Based in Indianapolis, USA Gymnastics is the national governing body for gymnastics in the United States. Its mission is to encourage participation and the pursuit of excellence in the sport. Its disciplines include men's and women's artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline and tumbling, acrobatic gymnastics, and group gymnastics. For more information, visit www.usagym.org.
2016 P&G Men’s Gymnastics Championships Field
Alpha by state, last name
Arizona
Alex Naddour, Queen Creek, Ariz./Team Hilton (USA Youth Fitness Center)
California
Donothan Bailey, Lake Forest, Calif./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
Cameron Bock, Tustin, Calif./SCATS Gymnastics
Adrian De Los Angeles, Long Beach, Calif./University of Michigan
Joshua Dixon, San Jose, Calif./U.S. Olympic Training Center
Sam Mikulak, Newport Beach, Calif./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
Kanji Oyama, Huntington Beach, Calif./University of Oklahoma
Timothy Wang, Riverside, Calif./U.S. Air Force Academy
Kevin Wolting, Laguna Hills, Calif./University of California – Berkeley
Colorado
Yul Moldauer, Arvada, Colo./University of Oklahoma
Florida
Danell Leyva, Miami, Fla./Team Hilton (Universal Gymnastics)
Sean Melton, Orlando, Fla./Ohio State University
Illinois
Grant Breckenridge, Libertyville, Ill./Stanford University
Alex Diab, Glen Ellyn, Ill./University of Illinois
Indiana
Ellis Mannon, Indianapolis, Ind./University of Minnesota
Maryland
Donnell Whittenburg, Baltimore, Md./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
Kyle Zemeir, Ellicott City, Md./University of California – Berkeley
Massachusetts
Matthew Felleman, Medway, Mass./Pennsylvania State University
Nevada
Emyre Cole, Las Vegas, Nev./University of Michigan
Jacob Dalton, Sparks, Nev./Team Hilton (University of Oklahoma)
New Jersey
Leroy Clarke, Maplewood, N.J./Pennsylvania State University
Tristan Duran, Franklin Lakes, N.J./University of Minnesota
Tristan Duverglas, West Orange, N.J./Pennsylvania State University
Akash Modi, Morganville, N.J./Stanford University
Brandon Wynn, Voorhees, N.J./Team Hilton (Ohio State University)
New Mexico
CJ Maestas, Corrales, N.M./U.S. Olympic Training Center
New York
Steven Legendre, Port Jefferson, N.Y./Team Hilton (University of Oklahoma)
John Orozco, Bronx, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
Eddie Penev, Rochester, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
Paul Ruggeri III, Manlius, N.Y./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
Ohio
Trevor Howard, Columbus, Ohio/Pennsylvania State University
Drew Moling, Canal Winchester, Ohio/Ohio State University
South Carolina
Anthony McCallum II, Columbia, S.C./University of Michigan
Texas
Levi Anderson, Spring, Texas/University of Oklahoma
Chris Brooks, Houston, Texas/Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
Tristan Burke, Royse City, Texas/Ohio State University
Colin Van Wicklen, Magnolia, Texas/University of Oklahoma
Matthew Wenske, Houston, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics
Virginia
Kiwan Watts, Chesterfield, Va./Above The Bar Gymnastics Acade
Wisconsin
Dmitri Belanovski, Milwaukee, Wis./University of Michigan
Marvin Kimble, Milwaukee, Wis./Team Hilton (U.S. Olympic Training Center)
Robert Neff, Brookfield, Wis./Stanford University
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