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Gymnastics

Jan 16, 2026

Gymnastics Meet Guide • NC State

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Meet 3: Clemson vs. NC State

CLEMSON, S.C. – The 14th-ranked Clemson Gymnastics team travels to No. 21 NC State for a Saturday 4 p.m. showdown to open ACC competition. The meet will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX). 

Clemson (1-1, 0-0 ACC, 196.350 average) and NC State (0-1, 0-0 ACC, 196.0750 average) have competed head-to-head seven times previously, and this will be the fourth dual meet.

Clemson last competed on Jan. 9 against No. 4 Alabama, and saw its score increase by nearly half a point from the opener to a 196.550, the fifth-highest score in the program’s young history. 

THE HOWELLS JOIN THE TIGERS

  • Clemson brought in Justin Howell and Liz Crandall-Howell in May 2025 to lead the program, making waves throughout the College Gym community
  • Justin and Liz spent the past 13 seasons at Cal, where they finished in the top-20 12 times, top ten seven times, and were the National Runners-Up in 2024.

CLEMSON LOVES GYMNASTICS

  • Clemson is in its third season as a varsity program in 2026, and made the NCAA Championships in each of its first two seasons.
  • Clemson has ranked in the top ten in attendance nationally in each of its first two seasons in Littlejohn Coliseum with 41,843 fans in 2025 (8,368 per meet – 8th nationally); 42,542 fans in 2024 (8,508 per meet – 8th nationally)
  • Clemson leads the nation in total attendance so far in 2026 with 14,270 fans in two meets.

TOP 20 START

  • The Tigers began the Howell era ranked No. 19 in the 2026 Preseason WCGA Poll. It was the program’s first time being ranked inside the top 20 of the WCGA poll.
  • Clemson was the second-highest ACC school ranked in the preseason poll behind Stanford (No. 13). Cal (20), NC State (23) and UNC (24) were also ranked by WCGA.

BUILT ON EXPERIENCE

  • Clemson returns 16 athletes from the 2025 squad, several with NCAA Regional experience. The returners include five seniors and eight juniors.
  • The Tigers added four new members to the squad: UCLA transfer Paige Anastasi, Cal graduate transfer Ella Cesario and freshmen Sophie Stuart and Emma Malewski.
  • Anastasi was a member of the 2025 Big Ten Championship and NCAA Runner-Up team as well as a 2025 Academic All-Big Ten selection.
  • Cesario competed in all 15 meets for the ACC-Champion Golden Bears under the Howells’ leadrship as a senior and tied for a team-high 9.95 floor score against Pitt last season. Stuart was a four-time national qualifier as a Developmental Program National Team member.
  • Malewski represented her home country at the inaugural Junior World Championships in 2019 and is the 2022 European champion on beam as well as becoming part of the first German team to ever win a European team medal in women’s artistic gymnastics.

ACC TAKES NOTICE

  • The Tigers were picked to finish second in the ACC Gymnastics Preseason Coaches Poll after earning 25 points just nine points behind the 2025 Champion Stanford (34 points).
  • Graduate students Ella Cesario and Brie Clark were named to the ACC Preseason Watch List while Freshman Emma Malewski was named to the Newcomer List.
  • Clark is a two-time All-ACC selection on floor (2024 & 2025) and became the first NCAA gymnast to both attempt and successfully complete the Biles I on floor.
  • At Cal, Cesario competed in the all-around ten times and helped the Golden Bears to the ACC regular season title.
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