North Stars Gymnastics Academy in Boonton leads USA Gymnastics’ (USAG) Region 7 with the greatest number of Level 10 national qualifiers, including three regional event champions.
Eight Level 10 athletes from the northern Jersey gym earned qualification to nationals after competition at the regional meet two weeks ago. The Level 10 regional competition comprised 279 athletes from more than 80 clubs, competing in 13 age groups. Each age division in Level 10 had between 17 and 27 athletes compete.
Region 7 Gymnastics is the USAG governing body representing New Jersey and five other states, including Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. The top seven all-around finishers and one alternate from each age group qualified to compete individually and as a team representing Region 7 nationally. Additionally, gymnasts can qualify for the all-star session at nationals provided that they are the top event or all-around scorers and did not qualify in their age group. The Region 7 gymnasts will compete against gymnasts from seven other regions in the United States at the Level 10 national championship.
Mariyah Aranbayev, Maxine Cometa, Stella Fischer, Jamie McDonough, and Emma Roppatte will lead the Level 10 contingent from North Stars.
“I love being in Region 7 because even if gymnastics is an individual sport, it means you are part of a bigger group,” said Cometa, 15, of Leonia. Cometa, a three-time national qualifier, placed first on the uneven bars this year at regionals and was the national bars champion a year ago. With regards to returning to nationals again this year, she said, “As the national bars champion for my age group last year, going back to nationals is an internal motivation to push myself to be even cleaner, more confident with my bar routine, and be precise with the execution of my new release.”
Comota added. “My main goal is to hit four for four and put together the best routines I’ve trained all season. I’m hoping to place in the top-10 all-around, but more importantly, to prove to myself that I can perform under pressure and represent my region with pride. I want to learn from the experience, enjoy the moment, and keep growing as a gymnast.”
Fischer, 16, from Bridgewater, is also a three-time national qualifier and took first place on the floor exercise at regionals in her age group this year and finished fifth on the balance beam at nationals last year. Talking about representing the Garden State on a national level, she said, “It means a lot to me to compete with some of the best athletes in the country. I’m really proud to represent New Jersey and Region 7, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to compete on the national stage in Oklahoma.”
Aranbayey, 17, from Queens, N.Y., is a Rutgers commit and is the lone Senior in the group from North Stars heading to nationals. She is a two-time national qualifier, having last qualified for nationals in 2023. She said that she is looking to have fun in Oklahoma City and is looking to finish her club career strong.
Roppatte, 17, from Essex Fells, is a two-time national qualifier and is an Arizona State commit.
McDonough, 17, from Palisades Park, is a first-time national qualifier and will compete as an individual on the bars in the all-star session. She is also an Alabama commit.
Rounding out the Level 10 lineup, Sophia Betz, 13, of East Hanover, Lexi Miller, 12, of Montville, and Teneil Turnbull, 15, of Fairview will also be representing North Stars at the Level 10 nationals.
The baby of the group, Miller, who was also a regional champion on floor in her age group this year, said that she is super excited to have achieved her goal of reaching nationals her first year as a Level 10 gymnast.
“I’m super happy to have achieved that goal,” Miller said, adding, “My goals throughout the season were to improve a little bit each meet, and I have happily done that. And, my goal at nationals is to be happy and positive no matter what happens and to just have a great time with my teammates.”
Discussing what it meant for her gym to be sending so many gymnasts to nationals, Ashley Umberger, the owner and head coach at North Stars, said, “This achievement comes from years of work between the athletes and their families, myself, and mentors who have guided me.” Umberger continued, “It takes a village to raise a child, but it takes a whole world of people around you to build what we at North Stars have built, and we are proud to be sending a great number of athletes to nationals this year.”
Additionally, Maria Verrone, 14, of Parsippany, was selected as a second alternate for nationals.
The Level 10s will compete May 6-10 at the 2026 USAG Development Program National Championship in Oklahoma City. The top four all-around athletes from each age division make up the USA Development Program National Team and receive an invitation to participate in a special training camp.
Three North Stars Gymnasts to Compete at Level 9 Eastern Championship
Three Level 9 competitors from North Stars advanced to the USAG Women’s Artistic Eastern Championship in Savannah, Ga., starting on Thursday and running through Sunday.
North Stars’ Level 9 qualifiers include Ingrid Kim, 11, from New Hope, Pa., Mia Rogers, 12, from Scarsdale, N.Y., and Taylor Schlow, 13, from Warren. Rogers placed first on the balance beam in regionals with a 9.675, and while she resides in Pennsylvania, Kim’s Garden State ties go beyond her gym as she is also a sixth grader at Princeton Day School.
The Eastern Championship consists of Regions 5, 6, 7, and 8, and is the highest competition that Level 9 gymnasts from 26 states in the eastern part of the United States can reach. Gymnasts from the four other USAG regions will also compete this weekend at the Western Championship in Boise, Idaho.
In addition to Umberger, a former two-time U.S. Women’s Gymnastics National Team member, the North Stars athletes are also trained by coaches Melissa Jones, Crystal Doherty, and professional dance coach Miguel Solano of Complexions Ballet in New York City.
The USAG developmental program consists of ten levels, with Level 10 being the highest. College gymnasts are predominantly recruited from the Level 10 and Junior and Senior Elite levels. The elite levels are where Team USA junior and senior international teams are chosen from, with Olympians being picked from Senior Elite.
