Clemson Gymnastics' collegiate debut vs William & Mary attracts 8000+ crowd

Clemson Gymnastics made its collegiate debut at the Littlejohn Coliseum on January 12, 2024, in front of a record-setting attendance of 8018.

The meet ended in delight for the fans as the Tigers defeated William & Mary with a 196.325-190.050 scoreline. Despite the rainy and cold weather, the fans came in large numbers to encourage their team.

A post by the Clemson Gymnastics on X (formerly Twitter) about the meet read:

"WHAT A CROWD‼️Setting the bar for our program 💜"

Clemson Gymnastics’ coach, Amy Smith, was pleased with the crowd’s support. She spoke with TigerNet about the same in an interview, stating:

“At one point, I looked up, and I'm like, there's people all the way to the top. And at the conclusion of the meet, I was saying how the crowd made it so special, it's like, we feel that energy.”

She added:

“And it was just unreal. Just that they bought into all of that. It was a spectacular, fun night that felt like a party and just watching these incredible women do incredible things. So amazing.”

The gymnastics team secured a total of 48.875 in the vault. Lauren Rutherford put up a great performance by winning the event, scoring 9.825. In the bars, the Tigers scored 49.225 as each of the gymnasts attained a 9.800 or above in the event.

Redshirt freshman Lilly Lippeatt scored 9.900 in her first college routine to win the event. At the end of the second rotation, Clemson led the scorecard by a margin of 98.100-95.500. The third rotation saw redshirt senior Rebecca Wells deliver a great performance to win the beam event, securing 9.875, followed by Brie Clark’s 9.850.

Post the third rotation, Clemson was leading William & Mary by 147.050-141.925. In the floor event, Brie Clark was sensational as she scored 9.900 to win the event.

Owing to impressive performances by Molly Arnold and Lauren Rutherford who secured 9.875 and 9.850 on their Tiger floorfloor debuts, the team posted a total of 49.275 on the floor. Thus, Clemson Tigers beat Williams & Mary to earn their first-ever victory in the program’s history.

Clemson Gymnastics’ upcoming home games

Clemson Gymnastics' home meetings will take place at the Littlejohn Coliseum (Getty Images)

Clemson Gymnastics has its first home ACC game against Pitt Gymnastics on January 21, 2024 (Youth Day), which will be broadcast on ACC Network. The Tigers will be back at Littlejohn on February 2 for a game against NC State.

On February 23, 2024, they will play North Carolina for their first Pink Meet. Finally, Clemson’s last home game of the first season will be on March 8, 2024, against the Air Force, on Military Appreciation Day/ Senior Day.