Hezly Rivera cemented her standing as the leader of the next generation of U.S. women's gymnastics, capturing her second straight national title Sunday at Matchup Mortgage Arena in Phoenix.

The 18-year-old Olympic gold medalist won her second straight national title on Sunday, rallying from fourth during the final day of competition with four poised and professional routines. Her two-day total of 111.950 was more than a point clear of runner-up Claire Pease, making Rivera the first American woman not named Simone Biles to go back-to-back since former world and Olympic champion Jordyn Wieber did it in 2010 and 2011.

The title did not come easily. Rivera's chances for a repeat seemed to be in trouble after she fell face-first into the mat after missing a release on uneven bars on Thursday. She responded Sunday with the same composure that has defined her rise. Rivera began Sunday on bars and put together a gritty set in which she fought through a mini-stall near the end and gave her coach a "what are you gonna do?" shrug after a dismount that included a small step. The judges awarded Rivera a solid if not spectacular 13.850, and her momentum continued to build as she made her way across the competition floor.

Rivera was the self-described "underdog" in Paris two years ago, when she joined an experienced group that helped the Americans win their third team gold in four Games. While some of her Olympic teammates — Biles and Suni Lee chief among them — have been on an extended break, though Lee announced last month she has started training for a return to competition, Rivera has pressed on.

First-day co-leaders Pease and Skye Blakely couldn't quite keep up. Pease led with two rotations to go, but her floor routine included one tumbling pass that ended with her stepping out of bounds and another in which she opted to keep her right foot hovering above the floor rather than set it down for a penalty. Still, Pease's second-place finish was a marked improvement from a year ago, when she came to nationals fresh off a victory at U.S. Classic and stumbled to 10th. This time around, she finds herself in a solid position to make the team that will head to The Netherlands for the world championships in October.

World championship team selection has not yet been announced, and the composition of the U.S. roster heading to the Netherlands in October remains to be determined.