North Carolina State University Athletics
Saturday, January 17
Raleigh, N.C.
4 PM ET
NC State
vs
Clemson
No. 21 Pack Welcomes No. 14 Clemson for 2026 Home Opener
1/16/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
RALEIGH, N.C. – No. 21 NC State gymnastics opens its 2026 home slate on Saturday by welcoming No. 14 Clemson to Reynolds Coliseum for its first ACC meet of the season. The meet is set for 4 p.m. and will air live on ACC Network Extra, with Rachel Garland and Sydney Snead on the call.
The Wolfpack will celebrate Life of a Showgirl Night, featuring a bracelet-making station and a pom-pom giveaway for fans. Tickets for Saturday's meet are still available and can be purchased here.
Last Time Out
NC State gymnastics opened its 2026 season on Friday, Jan. 9 against Auburn at Neville Arena, posting a 196.075, the highest season-opening score in program history. The Wolfpack fell to Auburn, 197.150-196.075, but delivered a performance filled with career highs and collegiate debuts to begin the new campaign.
Syniya Thomas led the way for NC State, competing on vault, bars and floor while setting or matching career-best scores on all three events. Her night was highlighted by a 9.925 on floor, her second career score of 9.900 or higher. Ashley Knight also recorded a 9.925 on vault, tying for second place on the event while matching her personal high.
A Win Would ...
NC State and Clemson last met at the Tuscaloosa Regional during the 2025 NCAA Regional Championships, where the Wolfpack placed third with a score of 196.275, finishing ahead of Clemson (195.875). Florida and Oregon State topped the field and advanced to the NCAA Championships.
The Wolfpack and Tigers last met in dual action on Feb. 14, 2025, with NC State earning a 196.050–195.950 road victory.
Pack in the Rankings
NC State is ranked No. 21 in the Week Two Road to Nationals poll, with event rankings of No. 11 on vault, No. 11 on floor, No. 27 on bars and No. 29 on beam. Two Wolfpack gymnasts also appear in the top 25 individually, led by Knight at No. 2 on vault and Thomas at No. 6 on floor.
Ahead of the 2026 season, NC State was tabbed No. 23 nationally by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association preseason poll.
Our Vault Queen is Back
Knight, NC State's all-time leader in career vault scores of 9.900 or higher, returned to competition for her junior season at Auburn on Jan. 9 and made an immediate impact by matching her career-high 9.925 to place second on the podium.
Knight has recorded 10 vault scores of 9.900 or better since arriving in Raleigh, the most in program history, accomplishing the feat in just two full seasons of competition.
Syniya on Fiya
Thomas was named the ACC Specialist of the Week for Week Two, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The sophomore is coming off an impressive season-opening performance at Auburn, where she helped the Wolfpack post the highest season-opening score in program history (196.075). Thomas is NC State's first ACC weekly award winner of the season and the third of her career, having previously earned ACC Newcomer of the Week honors twice during her freshman campaign.
Thomas competed on vault, beam and floor at Auburn, setting or matching career-best scores on all three events. Her standout performance came on floor, where she recorded a career-high 9.925, her second career score of 9.900 or higher, to finish third on the podium. On beam, she earned a 9.850 to claim a four-way share of the top spot, marking a career-best on the apparatus. She also matched her career high on vault with a 9.850, tying for fifth in a strong field.
To stay up to date with NC State Gymnastics, follow @wolfpackgymnastics on Instagram, @pack_gymnastics on X, and @packgymnastics on TikTok.
The Wolfpack will celebrate Life of a Showgirl Night, featuring a bracelet-making station and a pom-pom giveaway for fans. Tickets for Saturday's meet are still available and can be purchased here.
Last Time Out
NC State gymnastics opened its 2026 season on Friday, Jan. 9 against Auburn at Neville Arena, posting a 196.075, the highest season-opening score in program history. The Wolfpack fell to Auburn, 197.150-196.075, but delivered a performance filled with career highs and collegiate debuts to begin the new campaign.
Syniya Thomas led the way for NC State, competing on vault, bars and floor while setting or matching career-best scores on all three events. Her night was highlighted by a 9.925 on floor, her second career score of 9.900 or higher. Ashley Knight also recorded a 9.925 on vault, tying for second place on the event while matching her personal high.
A Win Would ...
- Be NC State's first win of the 2026 season
- Mark the Pack's first conference victory of the year
- Be NC State's first ACC season-opening dual win since 2024
- Be the program's third straight win over Clemson in dual action
- Mark NC State's third consecutive home-opening victory
NC State and Clemson last met at the Tuscaloosa Regional during the 2025 NCAA Regional Championships, where the Wolfpack placed third with a score of 196.275, finishing ahead of Clemson (195.875). Florida and Oregon State topped the field and advanced to the NCAA Championships.
The Wolfpack and Tigers last met in dual action on Feb. 14, 2025, with NC State earning a 196.050–195.950 road victory.
Pack in the Rankings
NC State is ranked No. 21 in the Week Two Road to Nationals poll, with event rankings of No. 11 on vault, No. 11 on floor, No. 27 on bars and No. 29 on beam. Two Wolfpack gymnasts also appear in the top 25 individually, led by Knight at No. 2 on vault and Thomas at No. 6 on floor.
Ahead of the 2026 season, NC State was tabbed No. 23 nationally by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association preseason poll.
Our Vault Queen is Back
Knight, NC State's all-time leader in career vault scores of 9.900 or higher, returned to competition for her junior season at Auburn on Jan. 9 and made an immediate impact by matching her career-high 9.925 to place second on the podium.
Knight has recorded 10 vault scores of 9.900 or better since arriving in Raleigh, the most in program history, accomplishing the feat in just two full seasons of competition.
Syniya on Fiya
Thomas was named the ACC Specialist of the Week for Week Two, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Jan. 13. The sophomore is coming off an impressive season-opening performance at Auburn, where she helped the Wolfpack post the highest season-opening score in program history (196.075). Thomas is NC State's first ACC weekly award winner of the season and the third of her career, having previously earned ACC Newcomer of the Week honors twice during her freshman campaign.
Thomas competed on vault, beam and floor at Auburn, setting or matching career-best scores on all three events. Her standout performance came on floor, where she recorded a career-high 9.925, her second career score of 9.900 or higher, to finish third on the podium. On beam, she earned a 9.850 to claim a four-way share of the top spot, marking a career-best on the apparatus. She also matched her career high on vault with a 9.850, tying for fifth in a strong field.
To stay up to date with NC State Gymnastics, follow @wolfpackgymnastics on Instagram, @pack_gymnastics on X, and @packgymnastics on TikTok.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
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