Published: 07/08/2026 - 8:00 AM
GREENSBORO, NC — When the Willow Grove YMCA Twisters walked into the Greensboro Complex on June 27, they carried a season's worth of preparation and a program-wide theme: "Blooming with Opportunity." Five days later, they walked out with three national team championships, three additional team silver banners, 32 unique individual national event titles, 84 top-three podium finishes, and a place in Twisters history.
The 2026 YMCA National Gymnastics Championships, held June 27 through July 1, produced the strongest single-year performance in the program's history. Willow Grove sent gymnasts to compete across 12 divisions, from Xcel through the Women's Championship Division, representing significant roster growth from the year prior. And on every single day of competition, Willow Grove athletes reached the podium.
Three National Team Titles
The Twisters were crowned National Team Champions in three divisions:
- Women's Championship Division (Levels 9 & 10): National Champions
- Boys Level 3 Division 2: National Champions
- Boys Level 4 Division 2: National Champions
The Women's Championship Division title is a first-of-its-kind result for Willow Grove, the top competitive tier in the YMCA gymnastics landscape, contested against the best Level 9 and Level 10 gymnasts across the country. The Championship Division team win recognizes not only individual excellence, but the strength of an entire optional program that has been building steadily for years.
The Boys Level 4 Division 2 title is the program's second consecutive national championship in that division, extending a streak that began in 2025. The Boys Level 3 Division 2 title adds another banner to a boys program that has now won a national title in each of the last three seasons.
Three More National Podium Finishes
Beyond the three team titles, Willow Grove earned national silver banners in three additional divisions:
- Women's Level 8: 2nd nationally
- Women's Xcel Gold: 2nd nationally
- Women's Xcel Silver: 2nd nationally
That brings the 2026 total to six team podium finishes, three national titles and three silvers. It's a result that speaks to the philosophy behind the program: the Development Program (DP) and Xcel tracks are treated as equal pathways, and both are built to compete at the highest level.
Individual National Titles & Top-Three Podium Finishes by Level
Willow Grove crowned 18 individual national champions across the meet, earning 32 unique national event titles and 84 total top-three podium finishes. Here's a look at every level where the Twisters reached the podium in Greensboro:
Women's Championship Division (Levels 9 & 10)
Willow Grove's Women's Championship Division team claimed its first-ever national team championship in the division, backed by the most event finalists the program has sent to a single Championship Division competition. Six different Willow Grove gymnasts advanced to Event Finals: in the Junior division, Roxy Spector, Olivia Lee, and Lucy Muller each qualified for all four events: Vault, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, and Floor Exercise. Mia Walinski and Marianny Bisono Cumba did the same in the Senior division, and Sydney Jones added a two-event finals berth on Balance Beam and Floor Exercise.
Mia Walinski won the Uneven Bars national title and finished 2nd in both the All-Around and on Floor Exercise. Sydney Jones claimed the Floor Exercise national title and added a 3rd-place finish on Balance Beam. Roxy Spector finished 2nd in the All-Around and 2nd on Balance Beam, while Olivia Lee reached the podium with a 2nd on Uneven Bars and a 2nd on Vault. Marianny Bisono Cumba rounded out the team's individual results with a 3rd-place finish on Vault. Lucy Muller also qualified for all four Junior event finals, capping off a Championship Division roster that reached the finals stage in nearly every event contested.
Women's Xcel Gold
The Xcel Gold team also earned a national silver banner, powered by Annabelle Fisher's national titles on Uneven Bars, Floor Exercise, and the All-Around, plus a 2nd-place finish on Balance Beam. Francesca Fontenot won the Uneven Bars national title and added a 3rd-place Balance Beam and 3rd-place All-Around finish. Ava Curnell claimed the Vault national title and finished 2nd in the All-Around, while Ashton McCullough won the Balance Beam national title. Lillian Pellegrino and Olivia Weiser rounded out the team's results, with Pellegrino tying for 3rd on both Balance Beam and Floor Exercise, and Weiser taking 3rd on Uneven Bars.
Women's Level 8
Peyton Achilles turned in the standout performance of the division, winning the Floor Exercise national title, taking 2nd on Vault, and closing out the meet with a 3rd-place All-Around finish at Level 8 All-Around Finals. Hannah Winters added podium finishes on Vault (2nd) and Uneven Bars (3rd), and Toni Dallas closed out the weekend with a 3rd on Balance Beam and a tied 3rd on Floor Exercise. Six Willow Grove gymnasts advanced to Level 8 All-Around Finals, Junior division Peyton Achilles, Cersei Pfeffer, Addison Bae, and Lena Coleman, along with Seniors Division Toni Dallas and Katelyn Lyons. That depth helped power the team to a 2nd-place national finish.
Women's Xcel Silver
Willow Grove's Xcel Silver team earned a national team silver banner behind a historic individual performance from Addison Kane, who swept every event - Vault, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, Floor Exercise, and the All-Around, for five national titles. Molly Miller added a tied 2nd on Uneven Bars, Juliet Fisher a tied 2nd on Floor Exercise, and Paige Torresani a 3rd on Floor Exercise.
Boys Level 3 Division 2
The Boys Level 3 Division 2 squad delivered one of the most complete performances of the entire meet en route to the National Team Championship. Hosea Wenger was nothing short of spectacular, sweeping five individual national titles, Floor Exercise, a tied Pommel Horse title, Still Rings, Parallel Bars, and the All-Around. Idris El-Shabazz added the High Bar national title and finished 3rd in the All-Around, with a tied 3rd on Still Rings along the way. Dylan Todd shared the Vault national title and rounded out his week with a 3rd on Still Rings and a tied 3rd on High Bar. Ciaran Diskin and Shepherd Crotts each reached the podium on High Bar, with Diskin adding a 3rd on Pommel Horse and a tied 3rd on Parallel Bars.
Boys Level 4 Division 2
The Boys Level 4 Division 2 team returned to the top of the podium behind a trio of athletes who swept nearly every event in the division. Jayden Silva captured national titles on Floor Exercise (tied), Parallel Bars, and the All-Around, adding podium finishes on Vault (2nd), Still Rings (3rd), Pommel Horse (tied 3rd), and High Bar (tied 3rd). Michael Bullick was equally decorated, winning national titles on Floor Exercise (tied), Pommel Horse, Still Rings, and Vault, and finishing 2nd in the All-Around. Benjamin Coleman claimed the High Bar national title and reached the podium on Still Rings (2nd), Parallel Bars (2nd), Pommel Horse (tied 3rd), and the All-Around (3rd). Nick Mapp added a 2nd-place finish on High Bar.
Women's Xcel Diamond
Adriyah Clark delivered one of the meet's most talked-about routines, winning the Floor Exercise national title with the highest Floor score of the entire Xcel Diamond division. Clark also advanced to All-Around Finals, finishing 17th in the Jr division. Eva Buchakjian joined her as an All-Around finalist, placing 23rd in the Sr division.
Women's Level 2
Two of the program's youngest competitors reached the podium in Level 2: Zoey Lim placed 2nd on Balance Beam, and Hayden Klinger tied for 2nd on Floor Exercise.
Women's Xcel Platinum
Addison Matlack led the way in Xcel Platinum, winning the Uneven Bars national title and adding a 2nd-place Floor Exercise finish, a 2nd-place All-Around finish, and a 3rd on Balance Beam.
Women's Level 4
Ava Bae claimed the Balance Beam national title, and Corinne Lermitte shared the Floor Exercise national title. Arya Chantry and Hannah Connelly each reached the Vault podium, finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Women's Level 7
Kenzie Rohrback represented Willow Grove on the Level 7 podium with a tied 2nd-place finish on Floor Exercise.
Building on a Historic 2025
The 2026 performance builds directly on a 2025 season that was itself a program-defining year. Last summer, the Twisters were crowned National Team Champions in Boys Level 4 Division 2 and Girls Level 8, and claimed 22 individual event championships. The 2026 numbers push further on every axis:
- Team titles: 2 in 2025 → 3 in 2026
- Individual event titles: 22 in 2025 → 32 unique titles in 2026
- Team podium finishes: 2 in 2025 → 6 in 2026 (three national titles + three silvers)
The Twisters, established in the early 1970s, are one of the oldest continuously competing YMCA gymnastics programs in the country. The 2026 result places the current era among the strongest in the club's history.
From the Program
"This is exactly what 'Blooming with Opportunity' looks like. From our first-time Xcel gymnasts to our Championship Division seniors, every single athlete showed up for each other all week. Six teams on the national podium, three national championships, 32 individual national event titles, and every one of our gymnasts contributing to something bigger than themselves, that's what makes the Twisters the Twisters. This program has always been about opportunity: opportunity to grow, to compete, to belong. What our athletes did in Greensboro is what happens when a whole community of coaches, families, staff, and gymnasts believes in each other. I couldn't be prouder."
— Mubarak "Coach Mo" Simmons, Senior Gymnastics Director, Willow Grove YMCA Twisters
Looking Ahead
With deep rosters and rising talent across every level, the Twisters return to training in July with a clear runway ahead. The Development Program and Xcel tracks continue to grow in parallel. The boys program is building on three consecutive years of national success. And on the Women's Championship side, the 2026 title provides a foundation for what the program hopes will be a sustained era of top-tier competition.
Congratulations to every Willow Grove gymnast who competed in Greensboro, to the coaches, to the staff, and to every family who has supported this program on its way to a historic 2026 season.
About the Author
Mubarak Simmons
Gymnastics Director, Willow Grove YMCA
Mubarak has over two decades of expertise in gymnastics and acrobatics. He coaches athletes to achieve their dreams while having fun in the sport. His career includes tenure as a stuntman at Walt Disney World Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular Show, and a key role in winning the 2005 NCAA Gymnastics Team Championship at University of Oklahoma. Mubarak is a graduate in Political Science, and enjoys motorsports and quality time with his family.