North Stars Gymnastics Academy clinched the Level 10 New Jersey State Championship team award and two of its gymnasts earned first place all-arounds in both age groups on Friday, March 24 at the annual event held this year at Epic Gymnastics in Manasquan.

Sponsored by the USA Gymnastics New Jersey chapter of the national USA Gymnastics Women’s Development Program, the Level 10 State meet included a junior division up to age 16 with 32 athletes, and a senior division up to age 18 with 34 athletes. Level 10 gymnastics is the highest level of competitive club gymnastics under the USAG Optional Division. Only elite is higher. 

Since 2012, North Stars Gymnastics Academy has dominated the field by winning every Level 10 State Championship title. It secured another back-to-back State Championship this year by defeating 17 Level 10 teams from throughout the Garden State with a team score of 115.075. The top three individual score getters from each division and from each of the four events, are calculated to determine the Level 10 State team award. The athletes are coached by North Stars National Team Head Coach Ashley Umberger, Faith Baranowski, Heather Moroz, Ivan Taskova and Melissa Jones.

In total, North Stars had 13 gymnasts (ages 12 to 18) qualify as Team New Jersey for the upcoming Region 7 Gymnastics annual Level 10 meet, which represents the top qualifying state championship gymnasts from six states: Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia. USAG Gymnastics is comprised of eight regions throughout the nation. Regionals is scheduled for April 13-16 at The Virginia Beach Sports Center, Va.

“It is an honor to win the New Jersey Level 10 State Championship award once again. We are beyond proud of our athletes. They gave it their all and their hard work showed,” said Umberger, a former two-time U.S. National Women’s Gymnastics Team member. “They put on quite a show and held their own among stiff competition from throughout the state.”

Athletes can score up to a perfect 10 for each of the four events: uneven bars, balance beam, floor exercise and vault, achieving a maximum all-around score of 40. The gymnasts had to earn a 34 all-around score at the State meet or a season competition all-around score of 35 to receive a bid to Regionals.

Olivia Kelly, 16, of Mahwah, (Bergen County) N.J., Class of 2024, took first place all-around in the Level 10 Junior Division. She is a member of the Barbados Women’s National Gymnastics team, who is vying for a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and a University of Missouri women’s gymnastics team commit.

 Olivia Kelly (Junior Division):

Bars:  9.625, first place

Beam: 9.475, second place

Floor: 9.400, fifth place

Vault: 9.800, first place

AA: 38.300, first place

Karina Lankamer, 18, Flemington, (Hunterdon County) Class of 2023, won first in the all-around Level 10 Senior Division. The Hunterdon Central Regional High School senior is a Central Michigan University women’s gymnastics team commit. 

Karina Lankamer (Senior Division):

Bars: 9.625, third place

Beam: 9.550, first place

Floor: 9.650, second place

Vault: 9.475

AA: 38.300, first place

Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, North Stars is continuing its legacy of training world-class gymnasts including 36 who have gone on to compete elite, more than 100 on full athletic scholarships and Ivy League placements in the NCAA, nine for the U.S. Women’s National Gymnastics Team, and currently for the Barbados and Jamaican women’s artistic gymnastics national teams.  

Up next The top seven all-around winners in each age group at the Level 10 Regional Championship in Virginia Beach next month will compete as part of the “Region 7 Team" from May 12-16 at the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics Development Program Level 10 Nationals in Oklahoma City.                                                        

About North Stars: North Stars Gymnastics Academy has been a national training center in Morris County for 50 years with female gymnasts earning placements and awards at the national and international levels. It boasts medalists in USA Championships, Goodwill Games, Pan American Games, Pacific Alliance Championships and competitions in France, South Korea, England, Russia, Bulgaria, Colombia, U.S. Olympic Trials, and more. North Stars prides itself on its ability to train athletes to build the necessary skills to secure athletic and academic college scholarships. To learn more about North Stars, visit  https://www.northstarsgymnastics.com/.