CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson was picked to finish second in the ACC Gymnastics Preseason Coaches Poll, the league office announced on Thursday. Additionally, Ella Cesario (Gr., Glen Ellyn, Ill.) and Brie Clark (Gr., Daphne, Ala.) were named to the Preseason Watch List and first-year student Emma Malewski (Fr., Hamburg, Germany) was named to the Newcomer List.
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Clemson earned 25 points from the league’s six Head Coaches, coming in behind 2025 ACC Champion Stanford (34 points).
Clemson will open its first season under the leadership of Co-Head Coaches Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell on Jan. 4 when Towson visits Littlejohn Coliseum. The Howells were named ACC Co-Head Coaches of the Year last season, winning the ACC regular season title in Cal’s first year in the league. The duo took over the Clemson program, now entering its third season, in May.
Clark, who is earning her Master’s Degree in Sports Business and Analytics, is a two-time All-ACC selection on floor and became the first NCAA gymnast to both attempt and successfully complete the Biles I on floor. She earned eight event titles in 2025 (two beam, six floor) and earned 9.9 or higher ten times.
Cesario transferred to Clemson from Cal and is working on an MBA as well. At Cal in 2025, she competed in the all-around ten times, and helped the Bears to the ACC regular season title, and also helped the Bears to the National Runner-Up spot in 2024, when she competed all-around 14 times.
Malewski represented her home country at the inaugural Junior World Championships in 2019 and is the 2022 European champion on beam. She helped Germany win a bronze medal in 2022, becoming the first German team to ever win a European team medal in women’s artistic gymnastics. Malewski won a silver medal in 2023 in both beam and the all-around competition at the German Championships.
