It may have been raining outside on Clemson’s campus, but it was a party inside Littlejohn Coliseum.
Hosting its fifth-straight sellout crowd of over 8,000 fans, the Clemson Gymnastics team put on a show on Friday night against ACC-rival Pittsburgh. After an up and down showing, the Tigers pulled out a solid team victory put together by incredible individual performances by Brie Clark and others.
With scores of 9.85 and 9.825, respectively, Maggie Holman and Trinity Brown anchored the top scores for the Tigers on vault to begin the meet. Clemson took a first rotation lead of 48.875 to 48.725 heading into the second rotation, bar.
Amy Smith‘s Tigers would start strong but finish sub-par on rotation number two. Three “sticks” in a row by Lilly Lippeatt, Takoda Berry, and Eve Jackson would extend the lead when coupled with a couple of Pitt stumbles on vault. However, Hannah Clark would take a scary hit to the head on a transition from bar to bar. After a quick examination from the trainers, Clark would hop back on the bars to finish her routine – and stick the landing to make it four in a row. Rebecca Wells would stick her landing as well, while Quinn Kohl would make it two falls on bars for Clemson, giving Pitt the lead going into the second half of the meet. Four of Pitt’s six routines marked higher than 9.8 on vault.
Clemson gymnastics looked to take control of the meet on beam. Lippeatt’s 9.825 set up Brie Clark’s astonishing 9.9 and Danika Nielson’s impeccable 9.8 provided the most valuable hits of the rotation for the Tigers. For Pitt, it was Jordyn Ewing’s 9.825 on floor that would keep things interesting headed into the final rotation, as they were only trailing Clemson by 0.475.
This meet would turn into a barn-burner. Following back-to-back-to-back 9.8s or better from Clemson on floor, Pitt would only trail by 0.15 with three routines to go. After Mollie Arnold’s iconic floor routine (and salute, to boot) only turned in a 9.6, Darbi Simcox would turn in a 9.875 on beam for the Panthers. This put the pressure on Eve Jackson and Brie Clark to pull out the win. Jackson turned in a 9.825, setting up Clark to submit an incredible 9.925 and deliver the victory to the home team.
Meet Notes
*Trinity Brown would attempt an exhibition floor routine at the pleasure of the crowd, but would fall on her first pass and need assistance to the locker room. Information on her injury is unknown.
*Top gymnast on vault: Holman
*Top gymnast on bar: Lippeatt
*Top gymnast on beam: Clark
*Top gymnast on floor: Clark
Final Score: Clemson 195.350, Pitt 195.275
