Clemson Gymnastics Stuns No. 12 UNC 197.025-196.375 at Pink Meet
Littlejohn was pink. The energy was electric. And No. 16 Clemson delivered one of its best performances in program history right on cue.
Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, S.C. • January 30, 2026 • ACC Gymnastics
Clemson Gymnastics Athletics
CLEMSON, S.C. — There is something about Littlejohn Coliseum that brings out the best in this team. And on a Friday night painted pink from floor to rafters, No. 16 Clemson gymnastics gave its crowd exactly what it came to see — a statement performance for the ages.
The Tigers posted a 197.025 — their third-best score in program history — to defeat No. 12 North Carolina 197.025-196.375 in the annual Pink Meet, recording season-highs in all four events and improving by 0.725 from their previous competition against Stanford. This was not a narrow escape. This was a declaration.
The moment carried even more weight than the scoreboard showed. During the meet, Clemson welcomed its 100,000th fan into Littlejohn Coliseum in just its 15th-ever home meet — a milestone that speaks volumes about what this young program has already built in Tigertown.
BRIE CLARK DOES IT AGAIN
If you have watched Clemson gymnastics at any point in the 2026 season, you already know what is coming when Brie Clark steps onto the floor exercise mat. The answer is always something worth standing up for.
Clark, who entered the meet ranked third in the nation on floor, posted her second consecutive 9.950 to match a school record. She also contributed a 9.750 on vault and a 9.875 on beam — a complete performance across the lineup on one of the biggest nights of the season.
This is what Clark does. Meet after meet, rotation after rotation, she delivers when the crowd needs it most and the scoreboard demands it. Clark has now won the floor event title in every single meet she has competed in during 2026, adding to a career collection of 16 floor and five beam event wins at Clemson. The floor belongs to her — and everyone in the building knows it.
CESARIO SHINES IN THE ALL-AROUND
Brie Clark was the headliner. But Ella Cesario reminded the packed house why she is one of the most complete gymnasts in the ACC.
Cesario competed in the all-around and scored a 9.800 or better in every single event. Her 39.450 all-around total ranked as the third-highest all-around score in program history — a number that drew a standing ovation from the pink-clad crowd at Littlejohn.
Tara Walsh continued her quietly excellent 2026 campaign, tying her career high on beam with a 9.875 and adding matching 9.875s on vault and a 9.800 on floor— consistent, reliable, and exactly what a championship-caliber team needs from its veterans on a big night.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR CLEMSON
The Tigers improved to 2-3, 1-2 in ACC action on the season, carrying a 196.390 average into the meet before this 197.025 performance lifted the program's trajectory heading into February.
The bigger picture here is undeniable. A program in just its third year of varsity competition posting its third-best score ever against a top-15 opponent, in front of its 100,000th career home fan, on a Pink Meet Friday night — that is not luck. That is a program building something real and building it fast.
Co-head coaches Justin Howell and Liz Crandall-Howell came to Clemson with a championship pedigree earned at Cal, and nights like this one are proof that their standard traveled with them across the country. Littlejohn Coliseum is not just filling seats anymore. It is becoming one of the places in the country where great gymnastics happens.
The Tigers are not just participating in the ACC anymore. They are competing for it.
Final Score: No. 16 Clemson 197.025, No. 12 North Carolina 196.375 | Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, S.C. | Jan. 30, 2026
