Hannah Hughes returns to state gymnastics meet after missing '24 event, wins third vault title
Hannah Hughes of Middle Country, center, won vault (9.825) and was third in all-around (38.10) in the state meet on Saturday, March 1, 20-25. Credit: James Escher
Middle Country’s Hannah Hughes had to follow the 2024 state gymnastics championships from home while she dealt with an injury. Having won back-to-back vault titles as the state’s then-defending all-around champion, the frustration morphed into determination for what 2025 could bring.
“I was very upset,” Hughes said. “I was like, ‘Next year, I’m coming back.’”
On Saturday in upstate Clarence, Hughes stepped into the same gym she couldn’t compete in a year ago and scored a 9.825 to win the state vault title for the third time, becoming the first state gymnast to do so since Section VI’s Jackie Brummer in 1981 and the first Long Islander ever to accomplish the feat.
Hughes, who also took bronze in the all-around with a 38.1, was one of multiple Long Island gymnasts who shined at the state public schools championships at Clarence High School. Smithtown’s Bayla Goldberg won gold in bars and placed eighth in the all-around with a 37.255. Islip’s Izzy Field added over 2.5 points to her all-around score from last year, placing seventh with a 37.425.
The trio helped Suffolk take third place as a team with a score of 185.1, only slightly behind Section III’s winning total of 186.55. Nassau (Section VIII) added a solid fifth-place finish with a score of 178.575.
Hughes also placed fourth in beam with a 9.75. The senior said that while she wanted to reclaim her 2023 all-around title, she particularly wanted to win vault. As one of the final gymnasts left to compete, it took Hughes just one try to achieve her dream before the celebratory tears broke free.
“I achieved my goal, and that’s all I wanted . . . I wanted to keep that title,” Hughes said. “To do that today made me so happy.”
Bayla Goldberg of Smithtown on the uneven bars. Credit: James Escher
Goldberg entered Saturday morning with a similar level of determination, with the junior’s success made all the more memorable by the fact that she was celebrating her birthday. Born on Feb. 29, a leap day, Goldberg did indeed leap and twist her way to one of the best gifts she could have received: a 9.775 score on uneven bars.
“It was such an amazing experience, it was such a present,” said Goldberg, who also tied for eighth place in vault with a 9.4. “But it didn’t really have any impact on my gymnastics today. I just knew what I had to do, and I did it.”
Field entered the day with a chip on her shoulder after placing 15th in the all-around in 2024. She placed seventh in the all-around, scoring inside the top 12 in each event.
“I had a really crummy meet last year,” Field said. “My goal this year was to do better and show what I had to show, which I think I did.”
West Babylon’s Lindsey Kutchens tied for seventh place in vault and floor with scores of 9.425 and 9.35, respectively, finishing 14th in the all-around with a 35.3 score. Suffolk’s state team did not finish lower than fourth in any event and took first in vault with a team score of 47.15.
Vanessa Frullo of Syosset poses for pictures after her bronze medal performance on balance beam. Credit: James Escher
Syosset’s Vanessa Frullo brought home Nassau’s only medals, taking bronze in beam with a new personal-best score of 9.775. The senior added a sixth-place bars finish with a 9.5.
“I’m someone who can get very nervous,” Frullo said. “But I tried so hard, stayed calm and did what I knew I could do . . . It was the best ending to my season that I could’ve asked for.”
Plainview-Old Bethpage’s Marisa Schlossman finished 13th in the all-around with a 36.1. Her best finish came in floor, placing ninth with a 9.3. Carle Place/Wheatley’s Sammi Jacknis placed 15th in the all-around with a 34.75.
“I can’t say enough about the 14 girls from Section VIII, they really held their own,” Nassau coordinator Kim Rhatigan said. “They did a phenomenal job.”