Reese Esponda is coming off a breakout win at the 2026 U.S. Classic, where she won her first elite all-around title. Now she shifts her focus to Phoenix, Arizona, where the 2026 Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships will decide national champions, national teams, and could be a stepping stone for the 17-year-old who is looking to make her first world team.

Esponda joined a media call on Wednesday to talk about her Classic win, working through a recent injury, potential upgrades at upcoming meets, and her zombies-themed floor routine.

Making national team, and shoring up bars and beam for Worlds

Esponda’s goal for championships is to make the national team.

“I feel like this year I’ve gotten a lot more confident in myself and a lot more consistent with all my routines.”

In regard to Worlds, she thinks she has the skills to make the team, but now it’s about showing she has the confidence. She feels like the Classic win could put more pressure on her, but she’s trying not to let it impact her, focusing on what she can control.

With it being a team Worlds this year, she’s focused on improving her bars and beam. “I feel like I’m known for my floor and vault, so just staying consistent and also being a good teammate and a good leader.”

Recovering from a grade 2 Lisfranc injury

Esponda previously shared at Classic that she had a ligament injury in her foot. She went into more detail on the call.

She hurt it on vault at Jesolo before she competed floor, which she ended up winning. “I mean it hurt, but I had so much adrenaline I was fine.” She didn’t really think anything of it at the time.

She came back home, got back to training, and it kept getting worse. It was officially diagnosed as a grade 2 Lisfranc ligament injury – grade 3 requires surgery. She was in a boot and on crutches for a bit. She spent a lot of that period focused on bars basics and was also given a workout program from her coaches for the gym (a normal-person gym).

A zombie-themed floor routine

Esponda was asked about her floor routine. Conveniently, she was working on artistry at practice just prior to the call.

“My routine is supposed to be like a zombie. Have you ever watched Walking Dead? So it’s kind of like the beginning. I’m a zombie, and then there’s some flashbacks to when I’m getting chased and trying to escape. So yeah, I’m supposed to be scared. That’s basically it.”

It’s not Walking Dead-themed, though — it’s a general zombie theme, inspired in part by a zombie music video she couldn’t immediately recall.

Upgrades and the possibility of “The Esponda”

Esponda plans to add her whip to double layout back at championships. Because of the injury, she didn’t have enough time to get it back consistently before Classic. She also plans to add a second vault for world team selection camp.

Esponda is known for trying unconventional skills on floor, like a triple back and other unique combinations. Asked if we could ever see an “Esponda” skill named after her, she said:

“I mean, I kind of just do those to play around and have fun because I don’t know. I just enjoy doing stuff like that. But when I was doing my Barani double back, I was kind of just playing with that for fun, and then it ended up coming in my routine. So maybe.”

On the Barani double back specifically, she learned it in a day on the rod floor and moved it to the regular floor within a week. “I also am not a front tumbler at all. So I think actually the fact that I can’t front tumble kind of helped me because one of my other teammates that’s really good at front tumbling tried doing it and it didn’t work as well.”

Esponda, Caylor, and looking toward LSU and LA28

Asked about her relationship with Dulcy Caylor, who had a breakout season last year, Esponda said the two have very different personalities but together are “somehow really good friends.” She described Caylor as more quiet, while she is “really energetic and talkative.”

The two are both headed to the NCAA in the near future – Esponda to LSU as a Class of 2027 commit, and Caylor to Florida, who has already announced she is deferring her enrollment for a shot at LA28. Esponda, for her part, says she hasn’t made that call yet. “I haven’t made a decision yet because a lot can happen in a short amount of time. So I’m just focusing one day at a time.”