CLEMSON, S.C. – Clemson Gymnastics Co-Head Coaches Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell have been named WCGA Southeast Region Co-Head Coaches of the Year, while Deputy AD, Competitive Excellence/Senior Woman Administrator Natalie Honnen has been named WCGA Southeast Region Administrator of the Year.
In their first season at Clemson, Howell and Crandall-Howell led the Tigers to the 2026 ACC Championship with a 197.100, defeating No. 7 Stanford, No. 14 Cal, No. 20 NC State and No. 22 North Carolina. Clemson finished the regular season with a 196.686 NQS, ranking No. 3 in the Southeast Region. The Tigers were the No. 15 overall seed in the NCAA Championships and advanced to the Baton Rouge Regional Final, where they were just 0.075 points away from advancing to Nationals.
It is Justin's eighth career Region Head Coach of the Year honor (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2024, 2026) and the fourth for Liz (2020, 2021, 2024, 2026).
Clemson improved 12 spots nationally from No. 27 to No. 15 and ranked No. 5 nationally in average score improvement (+0.728). The Tigers improved their national ranking in all four events, including an 18-spot jump on bars and a 20-spot improvement on beam.
The Tigers recorded 11 team scores of 196.500 or better and surpassed 197.000 four times during the 2026 season.
They coached Brie Clark to first-team All-America and All-ACC honors on floor and Tara Walsh to All-ACC honors on vault. They also coached Madison Minner to the 2026 ACC Vault Championship. Clark will get a chance to compete at Nationals on floor on April 16 in Fort Worth, Texas.
Honnen, in her first season as the sport supervisor for gymnastics, oversees Clemson’s student-athlete support areas, including sports medicine, performance, mental health and academic services. She also played a role in the hiring of Howell and Crandall-Howell and in the development of the Watt Family Performance and Wellness Center.
Clemson won the 2026 ACC Championship in its third season of competition, marking the fastest ACC title by any Clemson program.