Last year's A division team champions, Mt. Eden Sun, will return to defend their title in Denver (Lynne Owen/VaultingPhotos.com)

Denver, CO - Ten United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Vaulting Championships are up for grabs this week at the National Western Complex in Denver, Colorado. Team champions in the A,B, and C divisions will be determined, male and female individuals will compete for Bronze, Silver, and Gold divisions titles, and one pair will walk away Open Pas de Deux National Champions.

The vaulting begins on Thursday and continues through Sunday. First up will be the teams. C team compulsories will be held Thursday. The C team champion will crowned on Friday after A and B team compulsories, and the C team freestyle. A and B team champions will be determined after freestyle tests on Saturday.

Last year’s A division team champions, Mt. Eden Sun will be back to defend their title in Denver.

Individual tests also begin Thursday with the male and female Bronze compulsories. Silver and Gold division compulsory tests will be on Friday. Vaulters from all three divisions will perform freestyle tests on Saturday, and close out competition on Sunday.

Mary McCormick (Woodside, CA) will be looking for a fourth straight National Championship in the female Gold division, but will be facing tough competition from a field that has been shining nationally and internationally in 2013. Alicen Divita (Redwood City, CA), who earned a 6th place finish at CVIO3* Aachen this summer and won the Gold division at the Pacific Cup CVI3* will be among them. So will Region 2 champion, and Divita’s Woodside Vaulters teammate, Emily Hogye (Ben Lomond, CA), who bested McCormick and Divita at those AVA Region 2 Championships in July.

In the male Gold division Kristian Roberts (Half Moon Bay, CA) returns to defend his title. Roberts represented the U.S. at CVIO3* Aachen this year and finished on top of the 3* division at the Pacific Cup CVI. He will also face tough competition from a field that includes Gabe Aniello (Redwood City, CA), the only U.S. vaulter to ever qualify for the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final.

Pas de Deux competition begins on Saturday and finishes after a second round on Sunday.

With last year’s National Champions not competing in Denver, a new Pas de Deux champion will be determined this year. One pair to keep an eye on are sisters Kimberly and Cassidy Palmer (Half Moon Bay, CA), who earned a 4th place finish this year in Aachen.

For a full schedule of classes click here.

On Thursday and Friday, USEF competition runs alongside the American Vaulting Association (AVA) National Championships and the National Festival. Approximately 300 vaulters and 75 horses will be in attendance representing vaulting clubs from all over the country.

For more about the National Western Complex go to www.nationalwesterncomplex.com.

For more about the USEF/AVA National Championships go to www.americanvaulting.org/Nationals2013/

Follow the U.S. Vaulting Team here.