For the first time since 1984, the Wolfpack competed in an ACC gymnastics meet — and the team did not disappoint. Not only did the Pack record an ACC victory over rival UNC-Chapel Hill, but it did so with a season-high score of 196.225.
Graduate student Chloe Negrete and freshman Katie Harper led the charge for the Wolfpack (1-4, 1-0 ACC). Negrete took individual event titles on both the vault and floor while Harper earned her own title on the bars. The Tar Heels (2-5, 0-1 ACC) scored lower than the visiting Pack in all four rotations.
Harper was not the only freshman with a standout performance. Freshman Elle Hadrick made her program debut with the Wolfpack, scoring a 9.750 on bars and a 9.825 on the floor.
The red-and-white had a great start on the bars courtesy of Harper, whose 9.850 beat her previous season’s best of 9.800. Graduate student Emily Shepard earned the team a 9.825 in the anchor spot.
The bars gave the Pack a narrow lead early on in the meet and after moving to the vault, the red-and-white continued to grow its lead even more. In the leadoff spot, sophomore Meg Adler posted a 9.800 to earn the second-best score from the Wolfpack in the event.
As the last to go on the vault, Negrete claimed her first of two individual titles with a score of 9.875. Senior Krista Zultevicz rounded out the Pack’s performance on the vault — her 9.750 marked a season-best in the event.
NC State’s best event score of the night came on the floor with a team total of 49.200. Four red-and-white gymnasts scored a 9.825 or higher. Negrete earned the highest at the meet with a 9.925, her best score of the season. Shepard earned the Wolfpack’s second-highest floor score with a 9.875 while Hadrick and Zultevicz both earned a 9.825.
Already holding a comfortable lead heading into the final rotation, the Pack put up yet another impressive team performance. The team totaled a 49.100 on the beam, earning it two season-highs on the floor and on the beam in its first ACC meet.
The Pack had four gymnasts score a 9.800 or above with beam specialist junior Macy Jennings and graduate student Alexis Ortega leading the team with scores of 9.850. Negrete concluded her fantastic showing with a 9.800 score on the beam.
The Wolfpack continues to make significant improvements at each and every meet in the 2024 season. The Pack is set to host Pitt in a dual meet at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26.
