HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. – Rising sophomore Asher Hong finished atop the senior all-around podium during Sunday's men's competition to conclude the Core Hydration Classic. Stanford gymnasts have now won each of the first two U.S. Classic men's titles after Brody Malone won the inaugural crown in 2022.
Hong claimed the senior all-around title with a score of 85.305 to finish ahead of Stanford teammate Khoi Young in second with an 83.424, and Paul Juda in third with an 83.354. Hong led the senior men's field on still rings (14.749) and vault (15.705), was second on floor exercise (14.749) and posted scores of 12.352 on pommel horse, 14.300 on parallel bars and 13.450 on horizontal bar.
Young finished second on vault behind Hong (15.202), took second on pommel horse with a 14.872, and finished third on floor (14.550) to claim his second-place finish overall.
Twelve gymnasts with ties back to Stanford were in competition on Sunday, with five finishing in the top eight in the all-around. After Hong and Young, Riley Loos took fifth with an 82.019, Jeremy Bischoff placed sixth at 80.150, and Colt Walker took eighth with a 79.350.
Loos compiled a pair of fourth-place finishes on floor (14.314) and still rings (14.103), while placing in the top eight on horizontal bar (13.550) and parallel bars (14.150).
Competing in select events on Sunday, Brandon Briones finished second on horizontal bar with a 14.062.
Curran Phillips, a 2022 graduate of Stanford, competed in three events, including winning the parallel bars title with a 15.456. Phillips also placed fifth overall on vault (14.750). Fellow Stanford graduate Blake Sun finished second to Phillips on parallel bars, registering a 15.194, before placing fourth overall on pommel horse with a 13.850.
Perennially one of the strongest parallel bars squads in the nation, Stanford's depth was further shown as J.R. Chou celebrated his birthday with a fourth-place finish in the event at 15.050.
Based on points, the following athletes qualified to the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships from the Core Hydration Classic:
Javier Alfonso — Miami, Fla./University of Michigan
Michael Artlip — Bellaire, Texas/Penn State University
Fuzzy Benas — Richmond, Texas/University of Oklahoma
Cameron Bock — Tustin, Calif./University of Michigan
Crew Bold — Delray Beach, Fla./University of Michigan
Brandon Briones — Gilbert, Ariz./Stanford University
J.R. Chou — Oakmont, Pa./Stanford University
Ian Gunther — Houston, Texas/Stanford University
Dallas Hale — Frisco, Texas/Cypress Academy of Gymnastics
Jackson Harrison — Tempe, Ariz./Sun Devil Gymnastic Club
Patrick Hoopes — Lehi, Utah/U.S. Air Force Academy
Michael Jaroh — Northville, Mich./Penn State University
Evan Manivong — Kansas City, Mo./University of Illinois
Connor McCool — Ocean City, N.J./University of Illinois
Brandon Nguyen — Elk Grove, Calif./Stanford University
Zachary Nunez — Houston, Texas/University of Oklahoma
The U.S. junior and senior men and women will be back on the national stage in late August for the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships at the SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. For more information, including tickets, visit the event website.
