Newton North’s Lucia Grapski closed out the Bay State Conference (BSC) championships in style on Saturday, wowing the crowd with a floor routine for the record books.

Performing in the final event of the day, Grapski tumbled and leapt to a new Newton North school record, before being mobbed by her ecstatic teammates. It was a fitting end for the meet, which saw Newton North win their third consecutive BSC championship. The team remains undefeated this season and will look to continue their successful run at the MIAA South Sectionals tournament on Feb. 21 at Algonquin Regional High School.

Ahead of Grapski’s record-setting final routine, NNHS gymnastics head coach Cassie Ford told the gymnast to have fun and to follow “what her body knows how to do and what training has taught her to do.”

“Lucia is a really strong athlete and she has a really positive attitude,” says Ford. She described the resulting performance as “one of the best routines I have ever seen her do.”

Grapski’s floor routine score of 9.85 eclipsed the previous school record of 9.7, set by Eva Riesenburger in 2023. The result lifted her to first-place finishes in both the floor exercise as well as the all-around competition, in which she also set a new school record.

In addition to Grapski, a number of other Tiger athletes had standout performances that contributed to the team’s top finish. Nika Jayanth flew above all other competitors in winning the uneven bars competition. Greer Howard placed fourth overall in the all-around, and Alana Dukakis earned a new personal record on vault with a score of 9.5.

Ford, in her fourth year coaching NNHS gymnastics, says that the result was “amazing” and that the three-year run of conference championships shows how consistent the program has been. It’s also a significant achievement for this year’s team, which has had to overcome injuries and illnesses throughout the winter.

“The team has been working really hard this year and the win meant a lot for them,” she says.

Assistant coach Kaley Beauchamp believes that the squad’s success is due, in part, to how much the gymnasts care for each other. They do a lot of teambuilding exercises throughout the season, and by the time the postseason tournament comes around, the team feels like a family.

“I think this team has so much raw talent, but I think their work ethic and support of each other is the number two reason,” for why they have had success, she says. “They put so much effort into practices and being part of the team.”

Check out these programs from the championships:

Lucia Grapski poses during her floor routine. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Greer Howard performs during the floor event. Howard would place fourth in the all-around competition. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Simona Batista Ciani and Alana Dukakis share a light moment ahead of the floor competition. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

A Newton North gymnast pushes off the balance beam. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Nika Jayanth elevates during the uneven bars event. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Newton North coach Cassie Ford congratulates Simona Batista Ciani after she completed her routine on the uneven bars. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Simona Batista Ciani performs during the uneven bar event. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Alana Dukakis smiles for the judge after sticking her landing on the vault and scoring a personal best of 9.5. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Lucia Grapski goes airborne during the vault competition. She would be crowned the all-around champion for the event. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

The Newton North gymnastics team takes a selfie ahead of the Bay States Conference Championships at Newton North on February 7, 2026. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon

Newton North parents watched a gymnast compete on the uneven bars. (c) Burt Granofsky/Newton Beacon