Mahwah Teen Gymnast Qualifies For National Championship, Commits To College

MAHWAH, NJ — The North Stars Gymnastics Academy in North Jersey announced this week that they had 12 national qualifiers from their USAG National Women’s Development Program — but their biggest winner was a teen from Mahwah.

Six Level 10 gymnasts and six Level 9s from North Stars Gymnastics qualified at the United States of America Gymnastics Region 7 Regionals held at the Nittany Valley Sports Center in State College, Pa. April 11-14.

The USAG Gymnastics Women’s Program is comprised of eight regions throughout the nation, representing all 50 states.

Region 7 Gymnastics is the governing body of USAG gymnastics representing Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia.

The top seven all-around finishers and one alternate from each age group qualify to represent Region 7 nationally. Ten is the top score gymnasts could receive for each event including balance beam, uneven bars, floor exercise and vault. All-around scores are comprised from all four events with 40 as the highest.

Highest All-Around Score

Senior Olivia Kelly of Mahwah earned the highest all-around score among all Level 10s from the eight USAG regions with a 39.425. She also won the top spot at the New Jersey Level 10 State Championship last month.

She has already committed to be part of the University of Missouri Women’s Gymnastics Team next year.

“We are proud to have so many of our talented athletes qualify to compete at these prestigious events,” said Ashley Umberger, CEO, part owner and head coach North Stars Gymnastics Academy. “Their hard work, dedication and perseverance have paid off, earning them an opportunity to compete and showcase their skills on a national level.”

The Level 10s will compete in the USAG Development Program 2024 National Championship May 9-12 at the Volusia County Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.

The top four all-around athletes from each age division will make up the USA Development Program National Team and receive an invitation to participate in a special training camp. The event will be streamed live via a subscription service.

Olivia's statistics include:

Olivia Kelly, 17, Mahwah

• AA champion, first place 39.4250
• Beam, first place 9.90
• Bars, first place 9.850
• Floor, first place 9.950
• Vault, 9.725

Read more about the program and young North Jersey gymnastics stars here.