North Carolina State University Athletics
Saturday, January 24
Berkeley, Calif.
7 PM ET
NC State
at
California
Photo by: NCSU WBB
#18 Wolfpack Heads West to #20 Cal
1/23/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
RALEIGH, N.C. – No. 18 NC State gymnastics heads to No. 20 California for an ACC dual meet on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT) inside Haas Pavilion. The meet will air live on ACC Network Extra with Tim Swartz and Casey Magnuson on the call.
Last Time Out
Syniya Thomas sealed NC State gymnastics' 196.125–195.925 home-opening victory over No. 14 Clemson with a clutch 9.900 floor routine, lifting the No. 21 Wolfpack past the Tigers in front of 3,179 fans at Reynolds Coliseum. The win marked NC State's first victory of the 2026 season.
On the night, the Pack claimed nine total podium finishes and won three of the four events, earning its first conference victory of the year and its first ACC season-opening dual win since 2024.
A Win Would ...
Last Time vs. Cal
NC State hosted California in dual action for the first time in program history on Feb. 2, 2025, drawing its first-ever sellout at Reynolds Coliseum. The Pack fell 197.175–196.550, but the score marked NC State's highest of the season at that point.
NC State posted scores of 49.000 or better on all four events in the loss, highlighted by a standout performance from Ashley Knight, who recorded a career-high 9.925 on floor and added a 9.900 on vault.
Pack in the Rankings
NC State checks in at No. 18 in the Week Three Road to Nationals poll, highlighted by top-12 event rankings on floor (No. 9) and vault (No. 12), along with marks of No. 20 on bars and No. 29 on beam.
Individually, Thomas leads the Pack with a No. 9 national ranking on floor, while Elle Hadrick sits No. 25 on the event. Knight is also among the nation's best, ranking No. 14 on vault.
Ahead of the 2026 season, NC State was tabbed No. 23 nationally by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association preseason poll.
Syniya on Fiya
Thomas has had an electric start to her sophomore season through the first two meets of the year. In the season opener at Auburn on Jan. 9, she helped the Wolfpack post the highest season-opening score in program history (196.075), competing on vault, beam and floor while setting or matching career highs on all three events. Her night was highlighted by a career-best 9.925 on floor, her second career score of 9.900 or higher, earning a third-place finish on the podium.
Thomas followed that performance with a clutch outing against Clemson, anchoring the floor lineup and delivering a 9.900 routine to seal NC State's ACC victory.
Through the first three weeks of the collegiate season, Thomas was named the ACC Specialist of the Week for Week Two, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Jan. 13, marking NC State's only weekly ACC award to date.
Fun on the Floor
Floor has been NC State's strongest apparatus to open the 2026 season, as the Pack posted a 49.250 at Auburn and followed it up with a season-best 49.300 against Clemson, the team's top single-event scores so far this year.
NC State has recorded three scores of 9.900 or better on floor this season, including two from Thomas and one from Elle Hadrick.
Following its season-high performance on the event against Clemson, the Pack climbed into the top 10 nationally on floor, ranking No. 9.
To stay up to date with NC State Gymnastics, follow @wolfpackgymnastics on Instagram, @pack_gymnastics on X, and @packgymnastics on TikTok.
Last Time Out
Syniya Thomas sealed NC State gymnastics' 196.125–195.925 home-opening victory over No. 14 Clemson with a clutch 9.900 floor routine, lifting the No. 21 Wolfpack past the Tigers in front of 3,179 fans at Reynolds Coliseum. The win marked NC State's first victory of the 2026 season.
On the night, the Pack claimed nine total podium finishes and won three of the four events, earning its first conference victory of the year and its first ACC season-opening dual win since 2024.
A Win Would ...
- Be NC State's second win of the 2026 season
- Mark the Pack's second conference victory of the year
- Mark NC State's first-ever win over California since the Bears joined the ACC
Last Time vs. Cal
NC State hosted California in dual action for the first time in program history on Feb. 2, 2025, drawing its first-ever sellout at Reynolds Coliseum. The Pack fell 197.175–196.550, but the score marked NC State's highest of the season at that point.
NC State posted scores of 49.000 or better on all four events in the loss, highlighted by a standout performance from Ashley Knight, who recorded a career-high 9.925 on floor and added a 9.900 on vault.
Pack in the Rankings
NC State checks in at No. 18 in the Week Three Road to Nationals poll, highlighted by top-12 event rankings on floor (No. 9) and vault (No. 12), along with marks of No. 20 on bars and No. 29 on beam.
Individually, Thomas leads the Pack with a No. 9 national ranking on floor, while Elle Hadrick sits No. 25 on the event. Knight is also among the nation's best, ranking No. 14 on vault.
Ahead of the 2026 season, NC State was tabbed No. 23 nationally by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association preseason poll.
Syniya on Fiya
Thomas has had an electric start to her sophomore season through the first two meets of the year. In the season opener at Auburn on Jan. 9, she helped the Wolfpack post the highest season-opening score in program history (196.075), competing on vault, beam and floor while setting or matching career highs on all three events. Her night was highlighted by a career-best 9.925 on floor, her second career score of 9.900 or higher, earning a third-place finish on the podium.
Thomas followed that performance with a clutch outing against Clemson, anchoring the floor lineup and delivering a 9.900 routine to seal NC State's ACC victory.
Through the first three weeks of the collegiate season, Thomas was named the ACC Specialist of the Week for Week Two, as announced by the conference office on Tuesday, Jan. 13, marking NC State's only weekly ACC award to date.
Fun on the Floor
Floor has been NC State's strongest apparatus to open the 2026 season, as the Pack posted a 49.250 at Auburn and followed it up with a season-best 49.300 against Clemson, the team's top single-event scores so far this year.
NC State has recorded three scores of 9.900 or better on floor this season, including two from Thomas and one from Elle Hadrick.
Following its season-high performance on the event against Clemson, the Pack climbed into the top 10 nationally on floor, ranking No. 9.
To stay up to date with NC State Gymnastics, follow @wolfpackgymnastics on Instagram, @pack_gymnastics on X, and @packgymnastics on TikTok.
Players Mentioned
NC State Gymnastics 2024 Regular Season Recap
Saturday, March 30
Leaders of the Pack Chloe Negrete
Thursday, February 22
NC State Wins ACC Regular Season Championship
Monday, February 19
Gymnastics: Shepard v WMU, UNC
Saturday, February 04