Hallie Walker
Graduate Alexis Ortega hits her final pose in her floor routine during the Red and White exhibition meet in Reynolds Coliseum on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. The Red team beat the White team 3-1.
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.