NC State gymnastics took down the visiting Ohio State in its last home meet of the season, besting the Buckeyes 197.000 to 196.325 on Friday, March 7. The No. 20 Wolfpack (6-7) posted season-high event scores on the beam and the floor to hand No. 23 Ohio State (3-10) its third consecutive loss.
The Pack started its night off on the vault, where it posted a team score of 49.125 to beat the Buckeyes by .050 points. Sophomore Ashley Knight posted the top score of 9.900, followed by graduate student Chloe Negrete’s score of 9.850 which put her in a three-way tie for second place with two Ohio State gymnasts.
Negrete was one of six Wolfpack athletes who was celebrated during NC State’s senior night on Friday. Fellow graduate student Krista Zultevicz and seniors Peyton Childs, Macy Jennings, Lucy Lehman and Brooke Smead were also honored.
Ohio State hit back on the uneven bars, beating the Wolfpack by a margin of .175 points despite freshman Caroline Volk’s event-leading score of 9.925 — her first career victory. Freshman Ava Myers posted a career-high 9.800 in the event. After losing 49.275 to 49.100 on the bars, NC State prevailed in the final two events to limit its home losses to just one on the season.
The red-and-white posted scores of 49.350 and 49.425 on the beam and floor, respectively, to end the meet on a high note and secure the victory. The Pack’s team score on the floor was the seventh-highest event score in NC State history. Negrete showed out on the beam, earning the highest individual score of the meet with a 9.975. Volk took second place in the event with a score of 9.900.
Negrete led the way once again on the floor, matching her score in the previous event with another 9.975 and earning a standing ovation for her final performance at Reynolds Coliseum. Knight and sophomore Elle Hadrick helped complete the podium sweep, with both posting scores of 9.900 in the event.
Next up, the red-and-white will head to Denton, Texas, where it will face off against Texas Woman’s University in the first of four road meets to wrap up the regular season. Competition against the Pioneers is set to begin at 5 p.m. on Sunday.
