NC State gymnastics wins first regular-season ACC title: ‘This is historic’
Wolfpack gymnast Chloe Negrete bounced up and down on the mat at Reynolds Coliseum — holding the ACC Trophy — as she smiled for photos. History made.
N.C. State defeated Clemson on Saturday evening, 197.575-196.000, earning its first ACC regular-season title. Its score ranks No. 2 in program history and No. 1 under head coach Kim Landrus.
This is the first season since 1984 for the ACC to sponsor the sport. It hosted the lone championship that year, which N.C. State won.
“I am super happy, super proud of this team, first off. I know how much work we put in behind the scenes to make this happen, so it’s been incredible,” Negrete said of the Pack’s record-breaking score. “Then to cap off the evening with regular-season champions, I couldn’t ask for a better ending today. … I’m super glad that I’ve been here to witness history in the making and be part of it. This is historic.”
Negrete, a graduate student, won the individual floor exercise title, recording a season-high 9.950, while adding a 9.900 on balance beam and 9.850 on vault.
Fellow grad student Emily Shepard led the team with an all-around score of 39.750, a program record and the best by any ACC program. Courtney Rounders from North Carolina set the previous record, 39.725, in 2004.
Shepard also recorded a 9.900 or better on every event for the first time in school history. She notched career highs on bars (9.975) and beam (9.950).
“It feels amazing. That’s the reason I came back for my fifth year. Going [to the] ACC, I was like, ‘It’s time to break some records,’” Shepard said. “We had an amazing opportunity, and we took advantage of it.
“I wanted to find the joy in it, but we want our name in the record books. Being able to compete in the same conference as everyone else in your school, all the other athletes, all the other teams; it means a little more just to slap the ACC on a [leotard].”
Landrus said the team focused on the phrase “our path together.” She thinks the mindset reflects the culture, camaraderie and character of the athletes in the program.
The Wolfpack added season-high scores on vault (49.250), uneven bars (49.450) and floor (49.500) en route to its win.
Freshman Ashley Knight and sophomore Meg Adler contributed career highs as well. Knight logged a 9.900 on floor exercise, while Adler notched a 9.850 on beam.
Clemson’s Molly Arnold picked up a 9.925 on vault for its lone event title.
The win, and large score, will help the Wolfpack’s national qualifying score. That determines seeding in the ACC Championship and NCAA regionals.
N.C. State faces Pitt next week for one last ACC meet before filling in the remainder of the schedule with several quad meets. The league meet is March 23 in Greensboro.
“We’re not settling. We still have more goals we haven’t accomplished, and we’re just gonna keep climbing,” Shepard said. “We want to build off this. We say each meet, each day at practice is just another stair step in our journey, and we’re gonna keep climbing. We’re not done yet.”
This story was originally published February 17, 2024 at 12:00 AM.
