North Carolina State University Athletics
Friday, January 9
Auburn, Ala.
8 PM ET
NC State
at
Auburn
Gymnastics to Open 2026 Season at Auburn
1/8/2026 11:00:00 AM | Women's Gymnastics
AUBURN, Ala. – NC State gymnastics opens its 2026 campaign on Friday, Jan. 9, with a dual meet against SEC foe Auburn. The meet will be held at Neville Arena at 8 p.m. ET. Fans unable to attend can watch live on SEC Network+, with Jeff Shearer and Toi Garcia on the call.
Last Time Out
NC State gymnastics unofficially opened its 2026 campaign on Saturday, Dec. 20, at Reynolds Coliseum with its annual Red vs. White exhibition meet. The event gave Wolfpack fans an early look at the 2026 squad as the team competed on vault, bars, beam and floor. The roster was split into two teams of 10 student-athletes, the Red Team and the White Team. The exhibition was judged by NC State alumnae Alexis Ortega '24, Peyton Childs '25 and Katie Cox '21, with Mr. and Ms. Wuf also joining the panel as honorary judges.
The Pack is coming off an 11-10 season in 2025, making its 34th team appearance at an NCAA Regional. NC State competed at the Tuscaloosa Regional and placed third against Florida, Oregon State and Clemson.
The 2025 squad set a program record for its highest season-opening score with a 195.825 against Towson and posted five consecutive scores above 196 during the season, including a season-best 197.025 in a victory over in-state ACC rival North Carolina.
A Win Would ...
• Be NC State's first win of the 2026 season
• Mark the Pack's second consecutive season-opening victory
• Be the program's first win over Auburn since the 1997 season
Last Time vs. Auburn
NC State and Auburn last met on Jan. 27 during the 2023 season in a dual meet in Alabama, with the Tigers claiming a 197.175–196.125 victory. The top 20 matchup featured Auburn ranked No. 5 and NC State No. 20 and saw the Wolfpack record six podium finishes.
Pack in the Rankings
Ahead of the 2026 collegiate season, which officially kicked off on Jan. 2, NC State was tabbed the 23rd-ranked team in the country by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association. Topping the poll was reigning national champion Oklahoma.
The Pack was one of five ACC teams ranked nationally entering the new season, with Stanford leading the conference at No. 13. Clemson (No. 19), California (No. 20) and North Carolina (No. 24) also appear in the national rankings.
Keep an Eye on These Two
Ahead of the 2026 season, Ashley Knight and Syniya Thomas were named ACC Preseason Gymnasts to Watch.
Knight enters her junior campaign having competed in all but one meet during her NC State career. A two-time All-ACC Vault Team honoree (2024, 2025), the Greensboro, N.C., native ranks ninth in program history with 15 career scores of 9.900 or higher across all four events, including a program-record nine on vault.
Thomas is poised for a breakout sophomore season after competing in five meets during her freshman year. The Raleigh native was named ACC Newcomer of the Week twice (Weeks 1 and 4), becoming one of just two Wolfpack gymnasts to earn the honor in 2025 and the only one to receive it twice. She recorded her first career 9.900 on floor on Jan. 18, 2025, against Stanford.
A Newcomer Ready to Make Noise
Freshman Autumn Rardin was selected to the ACC Preseason Newcomers Watch List ahead of her first season of collegiate gymnastics.
A Columbus, Ohio native, Rardin is set to make her collegiate debut in 2026 after arriving at NC State as a two-time Level 10 National Qualifier (2023, 2024) and a two-time Ohio State Vault Champion (2023, 2024). During her club career at Gym X-Treme, she captured regional titles on vault, bars and floor in 2024, while also earning state championships on beam (2024) and bars (2023).
In the preseason, Rardin made an immediate impact by being one of five Wolfpack gymnasts to compete in the all-around at the team's Red vs. White exhibition.
Breaking Down the Roster
The 2026 NC State gymnastics roster features 20 student-athletes, including 15 returners and five newcomers. The Pack returns seven gymnasts who competed in every meet last season: Meg Adler, Kailee Adomaites, Elle Hadrick, Katie Harper, Ashley Knight, Ava Myers and Caroline Volk. The roster includes five newcomers, all freshmen: Elizabeth Strohecker, Emerson Fisk, Autumn Rardin, Karina Vega and Adasyn Tackett.
To stay up to date with NC State Gymnastics, follow @wolfpackgymnastics on Instagram, @pack_gymnastics on X, and @packgymnastics on TikTok.
Last Time Out
NC State gymnastics unofficially opened its 2026 campaign on Saturday, Dec. 20, at Reynolds Coliseum with its annual Red vs. White exhibition meet. The event gave Wolfpack fans an early look at the 2026 squad as the team competed on vault, bars, beam and floor. The roster was split into two teams of 10 student-athletes, the Red Team and the White Team. The exhibition was judged by NC State alumnae Alexis Ortega '24, Peyton Childs '25 and Katie Cox '21, with Mr. and Ms. Wuf also joining the panel as honorary judges.
The Pack is coming off an 11-10 season in 2025, making its 34th team appearance at an NCAA Regional. NC State competed at the Tuscaloosa Regional and placed third against Florida, Oregon State and Clemson.
The 2025 squad set a program record for its highest season-opening score with a 195.825 against Towson and posted five consecutive scores above 196 during the season, including a season-best 197.025 in a victory over in-state ACC rival North Carolina.
A Win Would ...
• Be NC State's first win of the 2026 season
• Mark the Pack's second consecutive season-opening victory
• Be the program's first win over Auburn since the 1997 season
Last Time vs. Auburn
NC State and Auburn last met on Jan. 27 during the 2023 season in a dual meet in Alabama, with the Tigers claiming a 197.175–196.125 victory. The top 20 matchup featured Auburn ranked No. 5 and NC State No. 20 and saw the Wolfpack record six podium finishes.
Pack in the Rankings
Ahead of the 2026 collegiate season, which officially kicked off on Jan. 2, NC State was tabbed the 23rd-ranked team in the country by the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association. Topping the poll was reigning national champion Oklahoma.
The Pack was one of five ACC teams ranked nationally entering the new season, with Stanford leading the conference at No. 13. Clemson (No. 19), California (No. 20) and North Carolina (No. 24) also appear in the national rankings.
Keep an Eye on These Two
Ahead of the 2026 season, Ashley Knight and Syniya Thomas were named ACC Preseason Gymnasts to Watch.
Knight enters her junior campaign having competed in all but one meet during her NC State career. A two-time All-ACC Vault Team honoree (2024, 2025), the Greensboro, N.C., native ranks ninth in program history with 15 career scores of 9.900 or higher across all four events, including a program-record nine on vault.
Thomas is poised for a breakout sophomore season after competing in five meets during her freshman year. The Raleigh native was named ACC Newcomer of the Week twice (Weeks 1 and 4), becoming one of just two Wolfpack gymnasts to earn the honor in 2025 and the only one to receive it twice. She recorded her first career 9.900 on floor on Jan. 18, 2025, against Stanford.
A Newcomer Ready to Make Noise
Freshman Autumn Rardin was selected to the ACC Preseason Newcomers Watch List ahead of her first season of collegiate gymnastics.
A Columbus, Ohio native, Rardin is set to make her collegiate debut in 2026 after arriving at NC State as a two-time Level 10 National Qualifier (2023, 2024) and a two-time Ohio State Vault Champion (2023, 2024). During her club career at Gym X-Treme, she captured regional titles on vault, bars and floor in 2024, while also earning state championships on beam (2024) and bars (2023).
In the preseason, Rardin made an immediate impact by being one of five Wolfpack gymnasts to compete in the all-around at the team's Red vs. White exhibition.
Breaking Down the Roster
The 2026 NC State gymnastics roster features 20 student-athletes, including 15 returners and five newcomers. The Pack returns seven gymnasts who competed in every meet last season: Meg Adler, Kailee Adomaites, Elle Hadrick, Katie Harper, Ashley Knight, Ava Myers and Caroline Volk. The roster includes five newcomers, all freshmen: Elizabeth Strohecker, Emerson Fisk, Autumn Rardin, Karina Vega and Adasyn Tackett.
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
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
/ Women's Gymnastics
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