Team East wins second CGA All-Stars title as Josh Karnes named MVP

The second annual CGA All-Stars meet was different in some ways, but the winner was the same, with the East team taking the overall title for the second year after edging the West, 228.725 to 228.550.

The West made a valiant push in the final rotation, outscoring the East on high bar, 38.075 to 37.625, but ultimately felt just short by 0.175.

The event titles were evenly split between the two teams, with Evan Manivong (floor), Ashton Anaya (still rings), and Josh Karnes (parallel bars) winning for the East, and Ignacio Yockers (pommel horse), Zac Tiderman (vault), and Sam Phillips (high bar) winning for the West. Karnes also won MVP.

The CGA All-Stars meet sees the 15 men’s NCAA teams split into two squads – East and West – and competing against one another in a head-to-head format that utilizes the 10.0 scoring system. (Official men’s NCAA gymnastics competitions utilize the open-ended scoring system.)

New this year, celebrity judges were replaced with International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Brevet-certified judges.

In a fun twist, the CGA partnered with Stanford gymnast and TikTok star Ian Gunther to award rings – seven in total – to the apparatus winners and MVP of the meet. The rings were made by Gunther from a high bar he infamously broke while training.

Keep reading for a rotation-by-rotation breakdown, including the winning routines.

You can watch a replay of the meet here.

Floor exercise

Illinois grad student Manivong narrowly beat teammate Connor McCool – a floor standout in his own right – for the floor title, competing a Randi, 3.5 twist, 2.5 to front full, and a stuck triple full to earn a 9.700.

McCool was second with a 9.650, and Stanford’s Taylor Burkhart was third with a 9.625.

Pommel horse

Oklahoma sophomore and pommel horse specialist Ignacio Yockers executed a smooth routine with excellent, open hip position throughout. The set featured a Mikulak mount, clean Sohn, and speedy Russians to earn a 9.763.

Yockers initially tied with Air Force’s Patrick Hoopes – another stellar pommel horse worker – but he won the tiebreaker, with Hoopes second and Zach Nunez (Oklahoma) third. Safe to say pommel horse was all West.

Still rings

Illinois senior and resident strongman Ashton Anaya won rings with a 9.725 after unshakeable holds, including a Maltese and Iron Cross, and a flared out full-twisting double back dismount.

Stanford’s Asher Hong was second with a 9.700, and Michigan’s Javier Alfonso and Penn State’s Matt Underhill tied for third with matching 9.675s.

Vault

Nebraska junior Zac Tiderman notched the highest score of the meet (on the highest-scoring event) with a 9.925 for his nearly stuck Yurchenko 2.5 on vault.

Greenville’s Ricky Mays was second with a 9.900, and Michigan’s David Wolma was third with a 9.850.

Parallel bars

Penn State junior Josh Karnes earned the parallel bars title and meet MVP award for his 9.675 on his trademark apparatus. Karnes’ lines were pristine, and he flew on his Bhavsar. He closed with a Diamidov and a powerful double front.

Oklahoma’s Emre Dodanli was second with a 9.575, and Illinois’ Will Hauke was third with a 9.525.

High bar

Nebraska senior Sam Phillips won high bar with a 9.700 after hitting his set that included a one-arm giant 1/1, Tak 1/2, stalder piked Tkatchev, stalder straddled Tkatchev to straddled Tkatchev, and a stuck laid-out double-double (with a college salute to boot!).

Michigan’s Evgeny Siminiuc was second with a 9.600, and Phillips’ teammate and West team captain Taylor Christopulos was third with a 9.575.