This year marks the 6th annual Nastia Liukin Cup, a competition that takes place every March just before the American Cup and is hosted by Nastia Liukin and USA Gymnastics. Liukin launched the competition in 2010 with the aim of providing a platform for top level 10 gymnasts to perform on the national stage. 

Prior to the competition, a series of invitationals, known as the Nastia Liukin Cup series, takes place in which a select number of gymnasts qualify to compete in the Cup itself. There are 36 girls who qualify, composed of 18 juniors and 18 seniors. 

Every year, the Nastia Liukin Cup showcases the rising stars in the JO field. Some will have the goal of competing in NCAA, while others will have plans to continue on through elite and perhaps to the world stage. The gymnasts have the chance to compete on the same podium used for the American Cup, which always takes place the next day, and to demonstrate their abilities on national TV and in front of important figures, such as Martha Karolyi.

The past 5 years of the Nastia Liukin Cup have produced many memorable performances from gymnasts who have gone far in the elite world, the NCAA world, or both. Lexie Priessman, now an elite gymnast, was 13 years old when she won the inaugural Nastia Liukin Cup in 2010. Despite being so young, she threw some big skills in that meet that certainly must have raised some eyebrows, such as a double twisting Yurchenko vault, a double layout with full twist dismount on bars, and a huge full-in dismount on beam. Priessman was joined by some other now-prominent elite athletes in that competition, such as Gabby Douglas (who was still with Xcaliber at the time), Amelia Hundley, and MyKayla Skinner, who was already tumbling high on floor at 13 years old. Lloimincia Hall also competed, performing many of the same tumbling passes as she performs today for LSU. Kassandra Lopez, who now competes for Utah, finished second behind Priessman, and Diandra Milliner (formerly of Alabama) finished third with the highest scores on vault and floor in the competition. 

2011 was a big year for Coach John Geddert, who not only saw pupil Jordyn Wieber win the American Cup, but also saw her teammate Grace Williams win the Nastia Liukin Cup. Grace, who is now a freshman competing for Nebraska, went head to head with several other gymnasts for much of the competition. Her huge 9.725 on floor (the highest floor score) clinched her the gold medal for the day. She also won beam with a 9.70. Second place went to returning competitor Amelia Hundley, who won uneven bars with a 9.75. Rachel Spicer, now a freshman at Florida, took 3rd place. Additional notable competitors from the current NCAA world include Kayla Williams, Georgia Dabritz, and Alex McMurtry (who won vault with a 9.8).

The 2012 Nastia Liukin Cup was won by another current NCAA gymnast - Charity Jones, now competing for Oklahoma. Charity was the highest qualifier for the meet and maintained her strong all around scores to win the event. Alex McMurtry competed and won vault for the second year in a row, this time with a 9.9, but improved her all-around performance to finish second overall. This was also our first glance at Polina Shchennikova, who finished third and won bars with a 9.55. Current elite national team members who competed in this meet include Nia Dennis (finished 5th) and Felicia Hano (finished 19th).

In her third year competing at the Nastia Liukin Cup, 2013, Alex McMurtry finally clinched the top spot, where she achieved the highest scores on every event except bars. They were huge scores as well - a 9.975 on vault, 9.8 on floor, and 9.75 on beam. Aja Monet-Sims, who is now a sophomore competing for Alabama, came in 2nd place, and Samantha Partyka, a freshman competing for Utah, came in 3rd. Current national team member Ashton Locklearalso competed, and, unsurprisingly, she achieved the highest score on bars with a 9.475. Emily Gaskins, currently on the Junior National Team, competed and finish in 19th place.



Last year, the results were split between seniors (16 years old or older) and juniors (15 years old or younger). It was also the first year there was a tie for 1st place - in both the seniors and juniors competition. In the seniors competition, Mackenzie Brannan and McKenna Kelley(the daughter of the great Mary Lou Retton) won first place. Brannan, who is now a freshman competing for Alabama, scored especially high on uneven bars with a 9.70, the highest score on bars. Kelley won floor with a 9.675, and both girls tied on vault with a 9.75. Kari Lee, a freshman competing for Utah, finished in third place. The juniors competition was won by Rachael Flam from Stars Houston and Lauren Ramirez from Gold Medal, while Rachael Lukacs finished third.

The Nastia Liukin Cup is clearly a competition that focuses on up-and-coming gymnasts, with some competition alumni going on to achieve greatness on the NCAA stage, while others pursue their dreams in the elite world. Be sure to tune in to watch the 6th annual Nastia Liukin Cup this weekend to catch a glimpse of this year’s impressive competitors and likely future stars.

Related:
Nastia Liukin Cup Qualifiers 2015
2015 Nastia Liukin Cup Series is Set