TOANO – Two athletes from Dreams Gymnastics have earned spots in the 2026 America’s Top 100 rankings following strong performances at the recent Queen of Hearts Invitational in Henrico.
Bella Colon ranked No. 40 in the nation, while Kyla Underwood placed No. 45, highlighting what coaches say is a major milestone for the local program.
The three-day meet, held from Feb. 27 through March 1, at the Henrico Sports and Events Center, marked the start of the season for many athletes in the program.
“This is the beginning of our season,” a coach said. “We have about 20 brand new. This was their first competition ever.”
More than 40 athletes from Dreams Gymnastics competed at the event. The Xcel Bronze team, the program’s youngest competitive group, took first place in its division, while the Xcel Gold team placed second.
The strong showing helped lead to national recognition for Colon and Underwood.
Colon earned her Top 100 placement on balance beam in the Xcel Bronze division with a score of 9.925. She also recorded the highest all-around score in her Xcel Bronze session, earning first place all-around and the competition’s largest crown for the top performance.
“She waited till the end and said, I decided to turn it on,” coach Justin McCabe said. “She did really, really well. And we had worked on a few things throughout the week.”
McCabe said Colon’s ability to apply small corrections helped her climb to the top of the standings during her beam routine.
“She’s always been really good at taking corrections and implementing them,” he said. “Going into beam, she wasn’t the top scorer and coming out of beam, she was.”
Underwood earned her Top 100 recognition on vault in the Xcel Platinum division with a score of 9.600. Coaches said she competed at a different level for the meet and delivered a strong performance despite nerves.
“I switched her to a different level in this competition to see how she’s going to be,” Coach Pavlin Yordanov said. “She was nervous, especially on vault, because her start value is not going to be from 10, it’s going to be from 9.8. And even with the 9.8, she scored 9.6. So that’s a really huge score.”
For the coaching staff, having two athletes ranked among the country’s top scores reflects both the athletes’ dedication and the gym’s approach to training.
“That means that we’re doing the right job,” Coach Galina Yordanova said. “We teach them the right way that we know, but they’re working hard to get there. So we need to work together to get to the point that they are right now.”
Coaches also noted the significance of reaching the Top 100 in a sport with thousands of competitors nationwide.
“If you think about it, the United States is a very big territory and the level they compete in, for example, they’re probably over, let’s say 20,000,” a coach said. “And to be a top 100, that’s a lot.”
Beyond Colon’s performance, several other Dreams gymnasts also earned top all-around placements during the competition.
First-place all-around finishes went to Ryleigh Madden and Izabella Nino. Second-place all-around honors were earned by Tessa Hasenfelt, Kyleigh Fielding, Kyla Underwood, Emily Shershniov, Riley York, Ariana Fiorello, and Madelyn Pickett. Third-place all-around finishers included Naomi Hogan, Lila Hasenfelt, Savannah Morgan, Willa Rendall, and Mirra Zakordonets.
Athletes from the program also secured top placements across individual events, including vault, bars, beam, and floor throughout the weekend.
Program Director Galina Yordanova said the results reflect more than just strong scores.
“For us, it’s about more than scores,” Yordanova said. “It’s about building confident, disciplined young athletes who learn to trust their training and support one another. This weekend reflected all of that.”
Both gymnasts said the national recognition came as an exciting surprise.
“I was really excited,” Bella said. “I almost screamed.”
With team victories and national recognition already marking the early part of the season, coaches say the accomplishment also serves as inspiration for younger athletes in the program.
“We are here to dream big and inspire all of them to chase their goals in gymnastics and life,” a coach said. “This achievement is really giving them hope to do better and to continue to shine bright.”
For a local program, having two athletes ranked among the nation’s top gymnasts is a significant achievement, and one Dreams Gymnastics hopes will continue to motivate the next generation of competitors.
To learn more about Dreams Gymnastics, visit dreamsgymnasticscenter.com.
