Sullivan Wins Senior Women's Winter Cup; Early-Season Benchmark Set
Ashlee Sullivan captured the 2025 Winter Cup all-around title with 53.550, edging Jayla Hang (53.000) and Simone Rose (52.700). The competition was held at the Kentucky International Convention Center from Feb. 21–23, and kicked off the domestic US competitive season. In addition to anchoring a weekend of gymnastics including the Nastia Liukin Cup and Elite Team Cup, the Winter Cup serves as a qualifier to the 2025 U.S. National Championships.
Key Takeaways
- Clean hits beat marginal difficulty in February. Sullivan's error-free slate separated a compact leaderboard.
- Power events moved medals. Vault and floor scoring created the largest single-event swings for Hang, Molomo, and Matthews.
- Depth broadened. Multiple clubs placed athletes in the 52–53 range, a positive signal for assignment flexibility through spring.
- Winter Cup remains a true season opener. It sets the selection narrative, provides film for apparatus strategy, and channels athletes toward the U.S. Championships.
Consistency and execution: Sullivan posted 13+ on all four events with no neutral deductions recorded on the scoresheet. That mistake-free profile lifted her above a tightly grouped field.
Vault and beam depth in the field: Hang delivered one of the night's biggest single-event scores on vault (14.050), while Drusch converted top-end beam difficulty into a share of the title.
Notable Returns and Debuts
Hezly Rivera made her first competitive appearance since Paris, focusing on uneven bars (12.950). Her targeted outing signaled a measured return to the elite calendar.
Sullivan's Clean Execution Sets Early Standard; Depth Emerges Across Events
Sullivan's mistake-free performance across all four events established the early-season benchmark, with her consistent 13+ scoring separating a tightly grouped field. Her clean, four-event portfolio with podium-level floor and beam raises her all-around baseline for spring assignments, and she's expected to trend upward as bars amplitude and landings solidify.
Hang's vault prowess and floor silver demonstrate how power events can elevate all-around totals, with her two-event core capable of supporting 52-53+ scoring when bars and beam reach mid-13s. Meanwhile, Zhou's bars victory and the Pease-Drusch beam tie reveal growing depth on precision events—a positive development for team selection models requiring secure 13.5+ options beyond established stars.
Rivera's strategic single-apparatus return represents smart championship preparation. Her targeted bars focus (12.950) signals a measured re-entry to elite competition, and if her all-around capabilities ramp up by late spring, she could re-enter top-tier consideration with her proven championship composure intact.