Garden City gymnastics' Charlotte Seebrath wins state titles in two events

UTICA — Charlotte Seebrath might be new to Garden City gymnastics, but she’s not a rookie.

When she transferred from Valley Stream Christian Academy this fall, the junior immediately made a statement. Now, Seebrath is a state champion.

Seebrath earned two first-place finishes on vault and bars with scores of 9.75 and 9.775, respectively, at the gymnastics state championships at Valley Gymnastics on Saturday. She placed fourth all-around with a score of 38.25.

Her numbers were near-perfect but, to Seebrath, the experience was even better.

“I think about my technique so much when I'm performing, but the best part is having good energy when I finish,” Seebrath said. “Sometimes, it's not even about the score. It's about the way I feel after and the energy I get from my teammates. Sometimes, that can be better than any score that I get.”

According to assistant coach Jen Soper, Garden City has not been represented at the state meet in at least 10 years. Not only did Seebrath end the Trojans’ drought, she brought on a flood.

“We knew from the beginning that she was going to do great things,” Soper said. “She brought such a positive energy to our team and just great camaraderie. She’s definitely a leader, she has great composure and it inspires the other girls. They look up to her.”

Suffolk was also well-represented at the meet. After missing the state meet with a back injury last season, Connetquot senior Avery Melchiona placed seventh all-around with a score of 37.15, including a sixth-place finish on floor with a 9.375.

At the fourth and final state meet in her six-year varsity career, Melchiona said she wanted to go out with a bang.

“I definitely knew I wanted to finish with a strong meet,” Melchiona said. “I wanted to do whatever I could to finish strong so that when I see my scores, it’s a relief. I did my best, I pulled through in practice and it paid off in the meet.”

Connetquot assistant coach Samantha Tutone said with so many years in the making, seeing Melchiona perform her best comes as no surprise.

“She's been on the team since seventh grade, so we saw her grow from a little tiny gymnast to now an adult,” Tutone said. “It’s really awesome to watch her wrap up her career like this and we’re going to miss her next year. She’s a steady, calm competitor and everyone looks up to her for that.”

Nassau gymnastics coordinator Kim Rhatigan said to have any Long Island athletes competing at the state level is an honor. To have multiple place finishers and strong performances, she said she couldn’t be more excited.

“All the girls did amazing and we had a great finish,” Rhatigan said. “It was a tough meet and I'm proud of both Nassau and Suffolk, our Long Island family. We have a very good, strong Long Island gymnastics community, so it's amazing to see these athletes shine up here.”

By Tess Ferguson

tess.ferguson@newsday.comtessferg

Tess Ferguson is a reporter on Newsday's high school sports staff. She joined the team after graduating with a journalism degree from Ithaca College in 2025.