CLEMSON, S.C. - Ava Piedrahita, an All-American at Penn State with more than 45 meets of experience, will transfer to Clemson as part of the 2026 signing class to compete in 2027. Piedrahita is a three-time All-Conference performer in the Big Ten with 104 career routines of 9.800 or higher and 28 routines at 9.900 or better. She helped the team to NCAA Regionals in each of her three competitive seasons.
Co-Head Coaches Justin Howell and Liz Crandall-Howell have assembled a signing class that includes seven freshmen - twin sisters Audrey and Sydney Snyder, Georgia “Yuri” Dunlap, Helen Geiger, Ella Oprea, Morgan Reihl, Makayla Torres-Melton - as well as Iowa State transfer Haylee Hardin and now Piedrahita.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Ava to Tiger Town,” said Co-Head Coach Justin Howell. “Ava is an elite competitor with proven experience at the highest level. Her passion for excellence fit perfectly within the culture we’re building at Clemson, and we can’t wait watch her light up Littlejohn Coliseum.”
Prior to her illustrious career at Penn State, Piedrahita was a three-time regional champion, two-time Nastia Liukin Cup participant (third in all-around in 2019), and had two top-five finishes at Nationals.
2026 Season (Senior)
- Second-Team All-Big Ten Honors
- Season-best performances: Scored a 9.950 on uneven bars vs. Nebraska/North Carolina (Mar. 13, 2026) and a 9.925 on vault vs. Illinois (Jan. 16, 2026)
- Delivered multiple 9.900+ efforts on both events, including 9.900 on vault and 9.900 on bars vs. Maryland (Jan. 24, 2026)
- Posted a 9.925 on vault vs. Rutgers (Feb. 1, 2026), highlighting vault scoring ceiling early in the season
- Recorded a 9.900 on vault and 9.850 on bars in quad meet vs. Eastern Michigan, NC State, and Ohio State (Mar. 8, 2026)
- Followed with another strong championship push, scoring 9.900 on vault and 9.950 on bars vs. Nebraska/North Carolina (Mar. 13, 2026)
- Tallied 17 total routines at 9.800+ (8 vault, 9 bars) and seven total routines at 9.900+ (4 vault, 3 bars)
- Closed the season with five of her final seven routines at 9.850 or higher, including postseason scores of 9.850 (VT) / 9.800 (UB) at Big Ten Championships (Mar. 21, 2026) and 9.850 (VT) at NCAA Regionals (Apr. 2, 2026)
2025 Season (Junior)
- Redshirted
2024 Season (Sophomore)
- Competed in 15 all-around meets, totaling 589.025 points—the highest known single-season total for Penn State since at least 2000
- Had 47 routines of 9.8 or higher, including 13 of 9.9 or above.
- Earned WCGA Northeast Region Co-Gymnast of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten honors
- Recorded seven 9.900+ scores on vault and did not score below 9.800 all season on the event
- Matched career-best 39.525 all-around at Southern Utah, with multiple additional 39.400+ performances
- Delivered 39.275+ all-around in both Big Ten Championships and NCAA Regional rounds, helping Penn State advance to its first NCAA Regional Final
2023 Season (Freshman)
- Competed all-around in 14 meets, quickly establishing herself as a lineup mainstay with 40 performances of 9.8 or higher and eight at 9.9 or better.
- Earned Postseason All-America honors on vault and Second Team All-Big Ten
- Posted a 9.950 (Big Five Meet) and multiple 9.925+ scores, emerging as one of the program’s top vault scorers
- Recorded 39.525 all-around at NCAA Regionals, including three 9.900+ scores, one of the top regional performances in program history
- Scored 9.875 on vault at NCAA Championships, earning All-America recognition and placing among top performers in her session