Massapequa gymnastics' Lexi Cuthbert, Samantha Hogan help team earn first Nassau title since 2017
Lexi Cuthbert of Massapequa concludes her performance on the balance beam during the Nassau girls gymnastics team championships at Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. Credit: David Meisenholder
“Don’t sleep on us.”
It’s what Massapequa gymnastics coach Katie McCabe told her team before the Nassau team championship. And it’s what McCabe told her team when it upset five-time reigning county champion Syosset.
Massapequa earned its first county title since 2017, scoring 172.5 points at Long Beach High School Thursday. Syosset (171.425) was second.
McCabe said the feeling of topping such a decorated program is unmatched.
“These kids have worked so hard all season,” McCabe said. “We felt like underdogs this year and we’ve been saying all season not to sleep on us. I can’t even describe what it felt like to hear our name called. It was unreal.”
Junior Samantha Hogan, who earned a spot on the state championship team in floor exercise during Tuesday’s individual championships, placed third on floor with a 9.35. She added a second-place finish on vault (9.1).
“This was obviously very unexpected,” said Hogan, who has been on the varsity team since seventh grade. “We’ve improved so much this season and each and every girl on this team is so talented. We knew we had so much potential and when we finally put it all together, we knew we could do this.”
Freshman Lexi Cuthbert won on bars (9.35) and qualified to compete on bars and beam at the state meet, scheduled for Feb. 28 in Utica. A first-year member of the squad, Cuthbert said she could get used to the winning feeling.
“This was such an amazing opportunity and it’s my first time here so this is especially exciting,” Cuthbert said. “I feel so amazing and we couldn’t have done this without each other and my teammates and my coaches.”
Long Beach’s Sophie Marino won the all-around title (36.4). She won on vault (9.3) and placed second on beam (9.25).
Hogan said riding the momentum of the win will only add to the excitement of the state championships.
“We’re so excited to keep competing and I don’t think we’ll get over this excitement for a while,” Hogan said. “This feeling is so amazing, to win our first championship. But I still feel like we have something to prove.”
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.
