With a two-meet winning streak under its belt, No. 19 NC State gymnastics traveled to Washington, D.C. to take on three DMV teams in Maryland, Towson and George Washington University in a Friday night quad meet.
Being the only team with a secure spot in the regional postseason meets, the Pack (10-7, 4-2 ACC) looked to dominate against three teams ranked lower than it. Fan favorites and season-long staples in graduate Chloe Negrete and freshmen Ava Myers and Caroline Volk showed out during the matchup, securing great routines to lead the Pack to a first-place finish.
The Wolfpack started the night off on the floor exercise and gained momentum quickly. With a total score of 49.200, the Pack took an early lead over its competitors. There was a three-way tie for the best floor routine for the red-and-white, with graduate Krista Zultevicz, Negrete and sophomore Ashley Knight all scoring a 9.850 to tie for fourth overall.
Up next was the vault, which proved to be another strong showing by the Wolfpack. A first-place score of 9.900 from Negrete led the Pack to another total score of 49.200. Junior Meg Adler and Myers both tallied a 9.850 to tie for second while Knight tied for 10th with a 9.825.
The Pack dipped slightly on the uneven bars, with the highest score coming from first-place finisher sophomore Katie Harper with a 9.875 and the second highest score coming from sophomore Elle Hadrick who tied for second with a 9.850. Myers, Volk and junior Madeline Reid all tied for seventh with scores of 9.800.
Heading into the final rotation with a score of 147.525, with the other teams not reaching above 146.575, NC State hoped to close out the meet and secure an all-around win on the balance beam. Heading into the match, a season-high event score on beam and floor helped then-No. 20 NC State defeat then-No. 23 Ohio State 197.000-196.325, and the Wolfpack managed to repeat that success in the quad meet.
Adler was up first, scoring a 9.575 which is significantly lower than her career-best 9.850 on beam. Volk followed next and got the red-and-white back on track with a 9.750 to tie for 10th. Senior Brooke Smead made her match debut on beam with a 9.875 to tie for second, elevating the Pack higher in the total score standings and she was followed by senior Peyton Childs who tied for fifth with a score of 9.800.
Negrete was the final competitor for the Pack on the beam, and she showed out for the red-and-white. With a final routine score of 9.950, Negrete won the event and led the Pack to a 196.675 final score over Maryland’s 195.500, Towson’s 195.800, and George Washington’s 195.225.
The Wolfpack will have a week to rest up before the ACC Championships on Saturday, March 22, with the meet set to take place at Greensboro Coliseum.
