Newsday's top 10 Suffolk gymnasts for the fall 2026 season
Bay Shore’s Luna Badillo on the bars during a Suffolk gymnastics meet between Smithtown and Bay Shore/Islip on Oct 14, 2025, at Smithtown East. Credit: Bob Sorensen
Luna Badillo, Bay Shore/Islip, Sr.
Badillo scored a 9.2 on the balance beam in Utica as a member of Suffolk’s state tournament team, ranking 13th in the state. She had a 34.45 all-around score at the state individual qualifiers, headlined by her 9.275 score on beam.
Emily Ball, West Islip, Sr.
Ball excels with her floor routine, evident by her stellar 9.4 score at the state individual qualifiers. The standout senior highlights a West Islip team that coach MaryAnn McGrade called her strongest since she joined the program eight years ago.
Hadley Caparco, West Babylon/Lindenhurst, Fr.
If you didn’t know Caparco’s name last fall, remember it now. Caparco had a brilliant season as an eighth grader, scoring as high as 36.25 in the all-around last season. She was similarly impressive at the state individual qualifiers, placing seventh with a 35.75.
Brooke Dunn, Smithtown, Sr.
Dunn is among the best returning gymnasts in Suffolk, having scored a 35.325 in the all-around at the state individual qualifiers. She scored as high as 9.45 on floor last fall.
Brooke Dunn of Smithtown during the Suffolk gymnastics individual championships and state qualifier on Nov. 14, 2025, in Babylon. Credit: Kelvin Loarca
Kailey Fernandez, North Babylon/Deer Park, Sr.
Fernandez enjoyed a promising junior season, with a 9.2 on floor versus West Islip and a 33.5 all-around score against East Islip.
Alena Giordano, Smithtown, Jr.
Among gymnasts who competed in three events or fewer, only two scored higher than Giordano’s 25.8 at least year’s state individual qualifiers. That included a 9.1 on floor to cap off a strong sophomore season as she helped Smithtown become back-to-back county champions.
Anna Hall, West Islip, Fr.
Keep an eye out for Hall, who impressed early as an eighth grader with a 9.0 on floor exercise at the state individual qualifiers. She’ll take a larger role for a team with eyes on a county title.
Leah Kutchens, West Babylon/Lindenhurst, Sr.
Suffolk’s top returning gymnast had a terrific junior season, placing third in the all-around at the Suffolk individual championships and state qualifying meet with a 36.575. She scored 35.3 in the state meet in the all-around with a third-place finish in vault (9.175).
Kristen Messina, West Islip, Fr.
Messina should have a significant role on West Islip’s team after impressing as an eighth grader, evident by her 8.85 score on floor at the state individual qualifiers.
Peyton Spatz, Ward Melville Sr.
The team captain is expected to finish among the county’s best in vault and on floor, scoring 9.1 on the latter last season. She also scored an 8.75 on beam.
Michael Sicoli covers high school sports for Newsday. He graduated from Quinnipiac in 2022 and left with a master’s degree in sports journalism in 2023.
