CLEMSON, S.C. — The Clemson Gymnastics team was ranked No. 19 in the 2026 preseason Women’s Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) poll, marking its first appearance in the top 20 of the poll. Clemson enters its third season of competition on Jan. 4, and its first under the direction of Co-Head Coaches Justin Howell and Liz Crandall-Howell.
Five of the ACC’s six programs are represented in the Top 25, with the Tigers joined by Stanford (13), California (20), NC State (23), and North Carolina (24). Clemson was picked second by league coaches in the ACC preseason poll. In addition to the league members, Clemson will match up against No. 8 Alabama, No. 11 Auburn, No. 12 Georgia, and No. 14 Michigan in 2026.
Clemson returns 16 student-athletes from last season, including several competitors with NCAA Regional experience, as well as a highly regarded incoming class. Ella Cesario and Brie Clark were each named to the ACC Preseason Watch List, and freshman Emma Malewski was named to the ACC Newcomer Watch List.
Single-meet tickets for the 2026 season are now available at ClemsonTigers.com.
2026 Preseason Top 25
1: Oklahoma (1960 points) (39 first place votes)2: LSU (1859 points) (5 first place votes)3: Florida (1804 points) (4 first place votes)4: UCLA (1784 points) (4 first place votes)5: Utah (1751 points) (1 first place votes)6: Michigan State (1638 points)7: Missouri (1589 points) (2 first place votes)8: Alabama (1518 points)9: Kentucky (1434 points)10: Arkansas (1433 points)11: Auburn (1367 points)12: Georgia (1332 points)13: Stanford (1256 points)14: Michigan (1200 points)15: Minnesota (1199 points)16: Denver (1132 points)17: Oregon State (1004 points)18: Arizona (990 points)19: Clemson (985 points)20: California (880 points)21: Ohio State (871 points)22: Iowa (779 points)23: North Carolina State (739 points)24: North Carolina (634 points)25: Arizona State (627 points)
