HARTFORD, Conn. (July 18, 2025) – In a back-and-forth competition Saturday evening, Reese Esponda (Shenandoah, Texas/World Champions Centre) won the first all-around title of her elite career in dominant fashion at the 2026 U.S. Classic.

After finishing fifth at last year’s U.S. Classic in Hoffman Estates, the 17-year-old Esponda improved her performance to take the top all-around spot Saturday with a score of 54.900. Esponda also posted the top score of the night on floor exercise to win gold (13.950) and earned a bronze medal on balance beam (13.750). She rounded out her four-event score with a 14.150 on vault, the second-highest single vault score of the night, and a 13.050 on uneven bars.

Jade Carey (Phoenix, Ariz./Oregon State University) stayed among the top five all-around in three of the four rotations, ending her evening in a solid second place to win silver with a score of 54.050. The 2024 Olympic bronze medalist on vault secured the gold medal on the apparatus Saturday (14.275; 14.300, 14.050).

Zoey Molomo (McKinney, Texas/Metroplex Gymnastics) was the all-around bronze medalist, posting a score of 53.900. In apparatus competition, Skye Blakely (Frisco, Texas/University of Florida) won both the apparatus on which she competed, clinching titles on bars (14.100) and beam (14.250).

Junior and senior elite women’s gymnasts will be back on the national stage in two weeks, where they will compete alongside men’s artistic athletes at the 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships August 6-9 in Phoenix, Arizona.