BOONTON, NJ (Morris County) — North Stars Gymnastics Academy celebrates six USA Women‘s Development Program gymnasts who placed in the Top 10 at national meets, another who medaled at a U.S. elite competition, and a high school senior who also placed 15th in the all-around finals at the Senior Pan American Games.
“These meets in the U.S. and abroad have given our athletes the opportunity to perform their skills, compete among the finest gymnasts, and attract national and international attention,” said Ashley Umberger, owner and head coach at North Stars Gymnastics Academy in Boonton, N.J. (Morris County). “Qualifying for any one of these meets is a feat unto itself. Our athletes are trained to compete in high-pressure situations and beautifully demonstrated their physical strength, artistic skills and their steady mindset.”
New Hampshire native, Leah Higgins, 13, of Boonton, N.J. competed as part of the USAG Hopes Championships at the 2024 Core Hydration Classic in Hartford, Conn. on May 24, where Olympic scoring was used. She placed in the top five nationally for her age group and was named part of the Hopes National Team, which is comprised of the top six all-around finishers. She has been invited to train at the next USAG women’s national development camp in Katy, Texas.
- Bars: 12.000, 3rd place
- Vault: 12.900, 2nd place tie
- AA: 47.350, 4th place
Alana Walker, 17, of West Orange competed as part of the Jamaican Women’s National Gymnastics Team at the 2024 Senior Pan American Artistic Championships in Santa Marta, Colombia this past week and was among the top 24 gymnasts to qualify for the all-around finals. The 2024 Stanford Women’s Gymnastics Team commit scored an all-around of 46.367, finishing 15th in the all-around for the Caribbean island country, where her family hails.
This year, North Stars had 12 gymnasts qualify for national meets. Six Level 10s competed at the USAG Development Program 2024 National Championship May 9-12 in Daytona Beach, Fla., where many NCAA women’s gymnastics program displayed their school flags and their coaches attended.
As part of Region 7 Gymnastics, each qualifying athlete competed individually and became part of their regional team matching their age group. The Region 7 teams represented six states including Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia and competed against seven other regions in the nation. USAG‘s Optionals Division begins at Level 6 and maxes out at Level 10. Only those who train and qualify at Elite competitions rank higher.
North Stars’ Level 10 National medalists who finished in the top 10 include:
Stella Fischer, 14, Bridgewater (Somerset County) Class of 2027
- Beam: 9.425, 8th place
Olivia Kelly, 17, Mahwah (Bergen County) Class of 2024 (Missouri University Women’s Gymnastics commit)
- Beam: 9.725, 3rd place
- Floor: 9.825, 4th place
Sophia Rocca, 14, Blairstown (Warren County) Class of 2028
- Beam: 9.450, 6th place tie (Level 10 All-Star Session/beam specialist)
Alana Walker, 17, West Orange (Essex County) Class of 2024 (Stanford University Women’s Gymnastics commit)
- Bars: 9.675, 6th place
- Floor: 9.850, 3rd place
Level 9 Eastern Championships
Five Level 9s from North Stars competed May 2-5 at the USA Gymnastics Women’s Artistic Eastern Championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Easterns consists of Regions 5, 6, 7, and 8 — representing 26 states in the Eastern part of the U.S. The other half, Regions 1, 2, 3, and 4, competed at Westerns in Coralville, Idaho.
Sh’Nai Thompson, 16, Dunellen (Middlesex County) Class of 2025
- *Vault: 9.675, 1st place champion
- Beam: 8.900, 7th place
- Floor: 9.475, 5th place tie
- AA: 36.575, 8th place
Keira Schwarz, 14, Basking Ridge (Somerset County) Class of 2028
- Bars: 9.425, 2nd place
- Beam: 9.350, 7th place
- Floor: 9.450, 10th place
- Vault: 9.425, 9th place
- AA: 37.650, 5th place
Lia DiNapoli, 15, Butler (Morris County) Class of 2026
- Vault: 9.425, 7th place
