Middle Country's Hannah Hughes wins third straight Suffolk all-around gymnastics title
Middle Country’s Hannah Hughes won her third straight Suffolk all-around title with a score of 38.700, breaking previous record of 38.475 on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. Credit: Neil Miller
During the course of her high school career, Hannah Hughes has epitomized greatness in Suffolk gymnastics.
The Middle Country gymnast, Newfield senior and three-time Newsday Gymnast of the Year further entrenched her legacy Friday — and in record fashion.
Hughes won her third consecutive Suffolk all-around title, posting a 38.700 score at West Islip. She shattered the previous all-time Suffolk individual championship record of 38.475, previously held by both Ward Melville’s Cydney Crasa (2014) and Bay Shore’s Skye Harper (2016).
“It’s the only thing I wanted,” Hughes said. “My goal coming in here today was to set a new record for the all-around, and that’s what I did.”
She added: “I’m happy I ended my season with a bang, and I’m ready for states. Try and beat that record again.”
Hughes, a University of Wisconsin Oshkosh commit, placed first on floor (9.700), beam (9.700) and bars (9.575). She finished second on vault (9.725), with Bay Shore/Islip’s Isabella Field taking first (9.750).
“She knows what she has to do, and she puts it in her head,” Middle Country coach Melissa Valentino said. “You talk about mental toughness. You talk about what it takes to be a high-level athlete, and it’s more than just the talent. It’s what is going on in the brain . . . It really is what she’s doing up there, and putting that together.”
Hughes, a state all-around champion in 2023 and a state vault champ in both 2022 and 2023, was unable to defend her titles last year because of a dislocated elbow that kept her sidelined for two months.
This year’s state championship is set for March 1, 2025 at Clarence High School in Buffalo.
Lindenhurst/West Babylon’s Lindsey Kutchens finished second in the all-around (37.800) and Smithtown’s Bayla Goldberg was third (37.700). Both will join Hughes in Buffalo as part of the Suffolk team, which also includes Middle Country’s Madisyn Rodriguez, Bay Shore/Islip’s Field and Kennedy Lyden, LWB’s Olivia Stuart, West Islip’s Emily Ball and Smithtown’s Mary Saul and Amanda Burns set to compete in various events.
Hughes improved her beam total from 9.325 in the 2023 county championship. She also improved her vault and bars scores while matching her floor performance.
She will have one more chance in March to add to her astounding resume.
“There was a fire that was set last March watching,” Valentino said. “It was hard for her to sit back and watch. I think that built that fire into her to step it up . . .
“She has a mission, and we’re here to support her mission.”
Ben Dickson joined Newsday’s high school sports staff in 2023 after graduating from Maryland, where he covered several of the Terrapins' teams.