NC State gymnastics traveled to Greensboro, North Carolina, on Friday night to compete in the ACC Championships against Stanford, UNC-Chapel Hill, Pitt, Clemson and Cal. The highly anticipated meet featured fierce competition, with Stanford ultimately taking the overall crown. The Wolfpack put forth a strong effort but finished in fourth place.
The competition was divided into two sessions, with NC State competing in the evening session alongside Stanford, UNC-Chapel Hill and Cal. Pitt and Clemson had already taken the floor earlier in the day during the first session.
NC State opened the meet with an impressive showing on the floor exercise, one of its strongest events. The team posted an overall event score of 49.225, setting an early tone for the night.
Sophomores Ashley Knight and Elle Hadrick delivered standout performances, each earning a 9.900. Their solid routines helped the Pack establish momentum, while junior Meg Adler contributed a 9.825 to round out the top three scores. At the conclusion of the first rotation, NC State found itself in third place within its session, positioning itself well for the remainder of the competition.
Next up was the vault, where the Pack encountered some difficulties. Despite a few struggles, Knight continued her strong night by posting the team’s highest score of 9.900. Graduate student Chloe Negrete followed closely behind with a 9.875, while fellow graduate Krista Zultevicz added a 9.850. The rest of the lineup landed in the 9.700 range.
Negrete’s contributions were particularly notable, as she has been a standout competitor all season. She was recently named the ACC Specialist of the Week for the fourth time this season, an impressive feat that came just a week after she was honored as the conference’s Gymnast of the Week. She remains the only ACC gymnast to earn the specialist title four times this season, further cementing her reputation as one of the top athletes in the league.
The Wolfpack moved on to the uneven bars, where Hadrick and freshman Katie Harper led the team, each recording a score of 9.900. Junior Madeline Reid added a 9.875, while Kailee Adomaites followed with a 9.850. Though the team performed steadily, it couldn’t close the gap with the frontrunners.
The balance beam proved to be the most challenging event of the night for NC State. A series of uncharacteristic mistakes prevented the Pack from earning high scores, with the team finishing the event with a total of 48.775.
Negrete posted the highest individual score with a 9.850, followed by senior Brooke Smead with a 9.775.
When the final results were announced, Stanford claimed the ACC Championship title with a score of 197.775, while Cal followed in second place at 197.650. NC State will now shift its focus to the upcoming NCAA Regionals, with the team set to learn its destination on Monday, at noon during the NCAA Gymnastics Selection Show, which will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
