Lexington, Ky. – An exciting week of competition took place at the 2015 USEF/ AVA Vaulting National Championships at The Ranch Events Complex in Loveland, Colo., July 16-19. The country’s top vaulters put on an excellent display of athleticism and grace with the hopes of claiming a title.

The top level of the championships saw strong performances across the board. In the Gold Individual Female division, Mary McCormick (Woodside, Calif.) partnered with Sydney Frankel’s Palatine and lunger Carolyn Bland to take home the National Champion title with a score of 8.029. Adding to his impressive resume, Kristian Roberts (Moss Beach, Calif.) won his fourth consecutive Gold Individual Male division title with the help of Palatine and lunger Bland, scoring 7.447. In the A Team division, the Mt. Eden Vaulting Club scored top honors with a final score of 6.332, partnering with Sunny Boy, owned by Garrod Farms Stables, and lunger Laura Yelavich for the compulsories, and Stanford, owned by Woodside Vaulters, and lunger Krista Mack for the freestyle. The squad, consisted of Tessa Belardi (Aptos, Calif.), Michelle Guo (Palo Alto, Calif.), Bodhi Hall (San Jose, Calif.), Tallulah Hickman-Smith (Saratoga, Calif.), Kate Morse (Los Gatos, Calif.), and Tarra Samak (Los Gatos, Calif.). With an overall score of 7.396, the Open Pas de Deux National Champions were Carlee Heger (Fort Collins, Colo.) and Haley Smith (Parker, Colo.) of Mile High Vaulters on Jodi Rinard’s Sampson lunged by Rinard.

In addition to her Pas de Deux title, Heger won the Silver Individual Female title with an overall score of 7.140, vaulting on Rinard’s Xena and lunged by Rinard. Luke Overton (Stanwood, Wash.) had a great final outing before the FEI World Vaulting Championships for Juniors, winning the Silver Individual Male title with an overall score of 6.504, vaulting on Kimberly Bell’s Prize lunged by Bell and Patti Skipton’s Vidar lunged by Skipton. The Mile High Vaulters were named the B Team National Champions with a final score of 6.313. The squad was made up of Melanie Ford (Fort Collins, Colo.), Heger, Jim Roedel (Fort Lupton, Colo.), Ana Schult (Longmont, Colo.), Smith, and Rachael Weiner (Fort Collins, Colo.).

At the Bronze level, Izzy Pioli (Snohomish, Wash.) of Above and Beyond Vaulters scored top honors in the Bronze Individual Female division with an overall score of 6.245. The Bronze Individual Male National Champion title went to Jace Brooks (Eagle Mountain, Utah) of Technique Equestrian Vaulting Club with a total score of 6.157. The Mt. Eden Vaulting Club also claimed the C Team title with a final score of 6.017, partnering with Sunny Boy and lunger Yelavich. The squad consisted of Claire Burnett (San Jose, Calif.), Giulia Corno (Saratoga, Calif.), Morgan Lambert (Sunnyvale, Calif.), Megan MacInnes (Saratoga, Calif.), Marie Obeloer (Sunnyvale, Calif.), and Allison Wu (San Jose, Calif.).