Orange County gymnasts earn spots in national championships after regional wins

Three Orange County gymnasts have punched their tickets to national-level competition after turning in medal-winning performances at Region 6, a result that underscores how much elite talent is now being built in Florida, New York, not just imported.

Zoe Santiago, 13, of Middletown, and Avie Frankl, 14, of Walden, earned spots in the Level 9 Eastern National Championships, which will take place April 30 through May 3 at the Savannah Convention Center in Savannah, Georgia. Emily Walsh, 14, of Warwick, qualified for the Developmental Level 10 National Championships in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where competition will run May 6 through May 10.

All three advanced by outperforming athletes from across Region 6 at the championships in Springfield, Massachusetts, held April 10 through April 12 at the MassMutual Center. Region 6 includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont, a field that makes every qualifying berth hard-won.

Santiago delivered one of the strongest weekends of the group, taking bronze on uneven bars, silver on balance beam and in the all-around, and gold on floor exercise to finish as the regional champion on that event. Frankl matched much of that success with bronze on uneven bars, silver on balance beam and silver in the all-around, enough to send her to Eastern Nationals for a second straight year. Walsh placed fifth in the all-around and added silver on vault and bronze on uneven bars, securing her third consecutive national championship appearance and her first at Level 10.

The three qualifiers train at Paradigm Athletic Center, the 41,000-square-foot facility on Route 17A in Florida, on the border of Goshen and Florida. The team works about 22 hours a week under owner and head coach Kristin Welsh and coach Brielle Benoski, whose combined backgrounds have shaped a program that now feeds directly into major postseason meets.

Welsh has spent 35 years in gymnastics as an athlete, coach, choreographer and judge, and the program has already built a resume that includes 20 individual state championship titles in its first season, 14 athletes at Region 6 and eight regional medals in 2025. Benoski, who started gymnastics at age 2 and trained competitively for 15 years before coaching on both coasts, adds another layer of experience to a club that opened at the former Orange County Sports Club site in 2024 and now serves athletes ages 5 to 18.